


Waking Up

by SaySaeri



Category: Junjou Romantica, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Drama and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ritsu tends to get into situations, Romance and Fluff, Underage - Freeform, decided to bring my story here from ff.net, due to Ritsu/Masamune in high school, please forgive my medical knowledge I started this in like 2014, references from the manga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-02-19 13:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 136,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22578703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaySaeri/pseuds/SaySaeri
Summary: AU. All he wanted was to be able to care for his husband, even if he got hurt in the end... Ritsu gets into a coma. How much will have changed when he wakes up? Nostalgia-centric. Ch. 38 is rated M. From FF.net.
Relationships: Kamijou Hiroki/Kusama Nowaki, Kirishima Zen/Yokozawa Takafumi, Kohinata An/Original Character, Onodera Ritsu/Takano Masamune, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm SaySaeri that's also from ff.net- I decided to add my stories to here too so I'm trying my best to learn the mechanics. I started this story in 2014 and decided not to re-write so I can always look back at my progress. Even now I make little tweaks in my head regarding some chapters so feel free to do so as well lol.

_Hearing a crash from inside the apartment, Ritsu cringed. He quietly messed with the silver band on his left hand, wondering what to do. He had already called their closest friend, and he was going to be awhile since the train was slow this particular rainy day._

_He felt so useless..._

_If he tried again to help, it'll make it worse... At those thoughts he rubbed the top of his head, still hurting from when the dictionary was thrown at him._

_'He's still so angry...' Ritsu began to cry, finally breaking down after a week of his husband's break down._

_'That's right...' Ritsu stood up, walking to the elevator and down to the first floor, walking out into the rain without a care. 'Maybe dinner might help...'_

**_Useless!_ **

_He wipes the tears trailing down his face._

**_Annoying!_ **

_He cringes at the memory, picking up his pace._

_I want to forget..._

_He can see it up ahead, the traffic light, now halting the vehicles. 'If I continue like this, I can make it.' He goes into a rapid jogging pace, ignoring the people giving him worried looks since he didn't have an umbrella on him._

_Feeling his ring becoming a little too tight, he takes it off for a moment. As he keeps moving he absentmindedly wipes off the rain even though he knew it was a losing battle. As he felt the inside of the ring for a second though, he feels some indentions and looked to see._

_'Did... did he put something on the inside? Why didn't I see this earlier?'_

_"Ritsu? Ritsu?!" At the voice, Ritsu turns, his eyes colliding with blue before a flash to the side distracts him._

_It was all too fast. The loud noises, a spine-chilling scream._ _He felt a ferociously stabbing pain everywhere._

_At this point, Ritsu couldn't feel the ring anymore and panicked, his chest now hurting at the loss. 'W-where did it go?!'_

_"Ritsu!" He ignored the voice, his eyes becoming so weak it was closing, but still searching for the ring._

_"Stay with me Ritsu! Ritsu!" He registers the voice, hoping it would help him. "Damn it!"_

_"T-the rin-g," he chokes out, "I-I can't find the r-ring, Tak... Takafu-mi..."_

_"Don't focus on that, don't," he felt hands forcing his face to look up, his eyes barely focusing on the older distressed male trying not to let him rest permanently. "Where does it hurt?"_

_"H-hurt...?" Reality hits him and he sobs, his mind now registering to him the pain at it's fullest. "It hurts!" he wanted to close his eyes so badly._

_I want to forget..._

_"Don't close your eyes!" Takafumi then curses, looking around frantically before trying to maintain eye contact with Ritsu. "Why did you come out here all by yourself in the rain?! Idiot!"_

_"Din-" he hisses in pain, "Dinner..."_

_He hears his friend choke a little, his voice strained as he lightly slapped Ritsu's cheeks to keep him awake. "Idiot! I brought take-out..." His eyes widen seeing Ritsu's eyelids struggle to keep open. "Oy! Don't-"_

_"I... I'm so useless, huh..?" Ritsu whispers hoarsely. "Te-tell him... Tell him that-"_ _"NO! Don't-!" Takafumi heard the sirens of the ambulance and tried to shake him awake, feeling dread and hope course through his veins. "Ritsu... They're here... See?!"_

_"Make... Make su-sure he eats dinn-ner..." Ritsu whispers weakly, his eyes closing as he succumbed to the coldness of the falling rain._


	2. Chapter 2

It was 8:34 PM when Takafumi woke him up.

"Masamune," he hears his friend whine half-heartedly, shaking his shoulder, "Remember what the other doctors said earlier. Your time's up; finally go home for a few hours or someone's going to finally report you even if you're a doctor yourself."

"I _am_ home," came his curt reply, said many times when someone tried to get him to leave the hospital. The 27-year old responded further by nuzzling snugly into the crook of his comatose lover's neck. Inhaling his husband's scent eased the stresses of his soul greatly.

He can hear Takafumi sighing before walking off to a table to set a container containing some dinner. "At least come eat what I brought."

Grumbling, he carefully got off the bed, mindful of the IV cord. He looked to see a container of stir fry and realized how hungry he was. Stretching, he went out of the room to go to the bathroom to wash up.

...

He paused in front of the room, listening to Takafumi talk with Ritsu. "...An's pregnant, did you know that?" Takafumi begins after a while. "An thinks it's going to be a boy. She's still waiting for you to wake up so you can walk her down the aisle."

"Your brother-in-law came the other day for the first time; like I told you before he's sort of a sensitive so when he came and saw you he bawled and kept going on with 'my precious little brother' and stuff. You got him excited when you gripped his hand."

Masamune hears him swallow, taking a breather. "It.. It's been pretty hard on them; first your father, now you... Your mother's beginning to think it was her fault, and then Masamune argues that it was his fault. I put in my 2 cents later and say it's my fault. I mean, I'm the one who called out your name and you turned... Although, if you did keep running, you would be moving as that car hit you, so I guess you would be flying in the air like a baseball and that would be worse... right?"

He sighs. "I didn't major in physics, so I don't really-"

"Why do you know more than me?" Masamune decides to interject, nonchalantly entering the room and heading to where his food lay on the table near the window.

"For starters, I actually leave the hospital and talk to people."

"I talk to people."

"Your patients don't count," Takafumi regards him with a frown. "Has Haitani come talk to you yet?"

Masamune glares down at his meal at the mention of Ritsu's physician. "About what?" He was still miffed that he couldn't be Ritsu's official physician.

"Nothing in particular. Just wondering..."

With a scoff, Masamune goes through half his meal as he asks, "So, are you doing any cases at the moment?"

"Yeah..." He watches as Takafumi goes stiff a little. "19 year old accused of killing his parents at the hotel downtown near the capital. His brother is a colleague of mine-do you remember Takahashi Takahiro? Him and Usami Akihiko found him in one of the rooms with the bodies. His hands and part of his clothes had blood on it and the murder weapon had his prints all over it." Takafumi sighs. "The whole thing is strange."

"How?" To him it sounded normal of a murder, although he wasn't told of the motive yet.

"He- Misaki, he couldn't have done it. He didn't remember anything that night up to when Takahashi and Usami found him. Also, the result of death was blunt head trauma on the top of their heads and he's shorter than his parents."

Masamune shrugs. "He stood on something and took them by surprise."

"There was nothing at the scene that implied that; the kid was obviously framed. I think it may involve the family."

"What makes you say that?"

"They..." Takafumi pauses. "They're all sure he did it; no objection, no anything. Even Takahashi... He flipped a switch from talking affectionately about him to..." He trails off, frowning. "Something's up. To top it all off, Usami's going to prosecute against us." He sighs. "Everyone but me immediately backed off."

"You got balls."

"It's not like that," Takafumi huffs, crossing his arm, "I just know the kid's innocent, and it's unfair to him that his whole family be against him without a shadow of a doubt. The kid doesn't even leave the village they lived in. You should have seen him when he saw the security cameras and people taking out their cell phones; he's totally new to the city."

"Then someone's got beef on him and the parents, obviously," Masamune says, opening a bottle of water and gulping it down.

"Yeah..." Takafumi agreed, but his facial expression looked like he was still concerned about something.

Finished with his meal, Masamune cleaned up and took a toothbrush out of his work bag sitting on another chair. "I'm going to get ready for bed. You should go."

"You should go too. Home."

"I told you: I am home." He yawns. "Wherever Ritsu is."

* * *

"The weather looked nice today, Ritsu," Masamune whispered, delicately pressed against his slumbering husband, a light blanket spread on both of them. "I didn't go out so that's why I said 'looked'. You know, like the last how many times." The lights were off, so the sources of light to his vision were the medical equipment and the moonlight cast outside the window.

"I heard the park they were making is finished so we'll go there later. Maybe I'll teach you how to finally ride a bike," he chuckles softly. "Sounds fun, right?" He turns his head to look at Ritsu, and was met with his unresponsive face, his eyes closed in unconsciousness.

Sadly, he caressed Ritsu's soft cheek closest to him, resisting the urge to kiss him awake in vain like he tried the first time when he found out about the accident. He had broken down again then, surrendering his outbursts when he was threatened with security."

"I'm sorry..." he whispers, his throat beginning to ache with his sadness. "I'm so sorry..."

"I love you... so much..."

"Wake up soon, okay?"

He clasped their hands together before falling asleep.

It's been almost three years since that accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Note (2014): An is Ritsu's sister in here. No objections, right? :p
> 
> Masamune's a doctor in here; part of this development was one of the reasons for his first breakdown cause it also involved his not-biological father. (2020: Idk what kind of doctor I planned for him to be. Left it vague and I apologize.)
> 
> Re-edit 6/18/14: Okay, truck is no longer the word used. I made a mistake with that, but no longer.


	3. Chapter 3

Who am I? I'm seeing nothing but... darkness? Is this what it is?

I'm breathing... In and out and in and out...

And I feel it again. That sensation of something touching my skin. It's different from the other touches.

...

My skin? My face? No matter how much I try I can't touch my face. Why is that?

"Ritsu..." Another touch to my face. The touch that is different from the others. It feels as if it's always been with me. Each time I want more it goes away. Come back...

That's right... my name is Ritsu. Ritsu, Ritsu... Now I feel something happening to my face, just as I right now wondered how it sounded like.

Another touch to my face... to my lips.

Why...

Why can't I see?

* * *

"I'll see you during lunch, Ritsu," Masamune whispered, kissing his lips once more. He leaned in closer to press their foreheads together before reluctantly pulling away. With a curt nod to the secretly fangirling nurses, he left to meet up with one of his patients.

Watching him leave, one of the nurses looks back to Ritsu, smiling in hope seeing Ritsu trying to murmur something.

...

"Good day to you two," they look to see Shin enter the room, clipboard in hand. "How's our little patient?"

"He's responding more and more to touch," the other nurse says, watching Ritsu's face and noticing his eyes flickering from under the lids. "And his nerves seem to be getting more and more active."

"His lips are moving too," says the first nurse, hopeful, "I think he's starting to hear and trying to respond."

"That's good," Shin writes something down on his clipboard. "Yokozawa said he can be a stubborn try-hard type so physical therapy just might be a breeze."

"Yokozawa...?" Says the other nurse, Umi, looking over at the hopeful one for an explanation. She wasn't here as long as they were. She was sure though that Dr. Takano was the patient's husband of around 6 years now.

"Mr. Yokozawa is their close friend since high school," her short dark-haired, energetic co-worker, Eru, explains, "He comes by a lot to make sure Dr. Takano is eating and seeing how Ritsu's doing. Sometimes he comes with Ritsu's family. Maybe you'll see him later."

"He was the one with Ritsu when he came in," Shin further explains, tapping his pen absentmindedly, "And boy, it was a mess. Takano almost about thrashed on him when he was notified of the accident a week later."

"A week?!"

"Takano was going through something himself when it happened; so it was decided that they wait a week so he can calm down with what he was going through before telling him about the accident." He whistles faintly as he shakes his head. "He may not seem like it, but Takano's like a dormant volcano about to explode any minute."

"That's mostly with you though, Dr. Haitani," Eru says, going to fluff Ritsu's pillow. "You always mess with him."

"Not true! I'm just trying to be real to hi..." He trails off, pausing to watch as Ritsu slowly opened his eyes.

Eru beamed. "Ri-"

"Shh," he shushes, walking toward Ritsu slowly.

* * *

"...accident..."

Accident...? A vision of bright light and blue comes into my mind. Takafumi...

Yes... I was looking at something and then...!

The ring. ...The ring! Where did it go? Will Takafumi know?

"...tellin... hi..bout..the...accident..." Whose voice is that?

"...Takano..."

Takano? Who was that?

Suddenly, I felt a rush through my head.

Amber-brown eyes.

Dark hair.

Warm hands. That sensation again. Was it him?

 _"Masamune..."_ Masamune?

I feel to pause, was my breath hitching. A dictionary now on the dark-wood floor.

He was angry.

Upset. Slamming doors.

Did he eat dinner? That's right... Dinner... He didn't seem hungry but I... I...

Is he okay now? Along as he's okay...

The sensation I had felt; it's him.

He's here? For me?

He's not mad at me? Is he okay now?

He was here, but he went somewhere. Where did he go? I want to know...

I want to _see._ Then I felt it, above my lips. Yes...

There was light when I opened my lids. Everything was blurry and immediately I want to close them again, a foreign wave that begged me to submit to this strange... _sleepy_ feeling.

Someone's walking towards me. White. A doctor? White and brown, bigger than the other two blurs I notice.

"Are you alright, Ritsu? I'm Haitani Shin, your doctor."

I couldn't answer him. Straining my sight I tried to get a better look at him.

"Don't do that..." A finger touches my forehead. No sensation. I want Masamune's touch again. Where is he? "Try and relax your body. Can you move your hands?"

Relax my body? Move my hands? I manage to tilt my head down to see a hand. Was that mine?

One of the blurs- the one closest to me- touched the hand. I can feel it.

This is my hand. I try my hardest to grip it but I think I was barely gripping. "Good job; you're getting there," the blur praised, a woman. A nurse?

I'm tired now. Above my eyes I can now register the movement of my eyebrows.

"Can you talk?"

Talk? Surely, I am moving my lips now. I don't hear anything though.

"It's okay. You're getting there..."

Now I'm really tired. I see darkness now, comforting me as I go back to nothingness once more.

* * *

Hmm...?

I feel better now. Remembering my eyes, I open them. Slowly, the blurriness goes away, and I notice...

It's dark.

A square different from the larger square it was in; a window and a wall to my left.

_Night time._

It is night now. There is light coming through, and I can see a table... chairs...

A bag on one of the chairs? Whose is that? Breathing in and out, I realize that I had forgotten my nose.

There is a scent I can smell. It smells nice, something I wouldn't expect in a hospital.

Where was it coming from? I try turning my head, becoming a little tired at the effort. To my right, there is a closed door. A light switch on the wall. A picture of a photogenic meadow- purple, green, yellow, red, blue...

Movement.

I feel afraid. It was rising up and down slowly. Someone is here with me. Next to me.

Really, really close.

The smell comes to mind again. Left side is faint but the right side...

Is it this person? I try to turn my head more, and then my body is squeezed a little. I'm being hugged?

There are arms, I see now. Up and right, I tilt my head, trying to see who this person was.

My breath hitches.

A pale face.

Long eyelashes.

Dark hair.

Masamune.

He looks a little different; is it really him?

Why is he here? Did he eat?

He looks tired.

Are you waiting for me? My throat starts to hurt, and breathing becomes hard. My chest hurts.

I want to touch him but I can't.

* * *

*beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep*

 _'What...?'_ Masamune frowned a little, his eyes still shut. _'An alarm-'_

 _'The heart monitor._ 'He opens his eyes, widening at the mesmerizing green ones that were staring at him.

Taking a breath, he just stares, hoping that this wasn't a dream.

That it wasn't-

*beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep- Quickly he stops the monitor with the arm and hand on the side that wasn't wrapped around Ritsu, taking out the the wires connecting it to him.

 _'His heart rate...'_ Masamune realizes, looking back to Ritsu. "Ritsu..."

_'He's shaking...'_

"Hueh...heu..." Ritsu begins sobbing unintelligibly as he continued to stare at Masamune, tears flooding out down his cheeks.

Gently, Masamune cradles his face, shushing him as he lovingly wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Don't cry... don't cry..." he whispers, becoming hoarse as he tried to hold his tears back. He put his forehead against his, looking in to those eyes he's been waiting to see.

_'Ritsu...'_

"Ma..." His eyes widened, watching as Ritsu tried to talk to him through his sobbing. "Ma... Mas..."

Masamune began pressing kisses all over his face. "It's okay, I'm here... I'm here..."

He spent the next hour calming Ritsu's crying before they slowly fell back to sleep, with him hoping that Ritsu would wake up the next time he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Note (2014): He woke up! Now what will happen next...?  
> (2020: I could change Haitani's first name to the correct one but ah... nah.)


	4. Chapter 4

Hmm..? Slowly, I open my eyes, a groggy feeling sweeping through my body. I hear a deep sigh to my right, and I remember Masamune. Turning my head to see him, I see that he was still sleeping.

He's wearing a white coat? So he's a doctor too? I feel my heart swell; he did it.

Does that mean he's okay with everything now? I...

I really want to touch him.

Glancing down to my limp hands, I wonder how long it'll be before I get my strength back.

Why do I feel so weak though? How long was I out? Surely a few days...

No... I look back at Masamune.

He... he grew. His hair is different, and I notice now glasses hanging out of the top part of his shirt near his neck.

"You're awake."

I look back to the door. A doctor with brown hair... What was his name again...? Haitani... Shin?

He walks towards me quietly on my left side with a smile. "Do you remember my name?"

"Hai..." I begin, having some trouble. "...tani?"

"Yes, yes!" He gestures in a nurse with a wheelchair. Am I going somewhere?

"It's around noon now, and Takano decided to come here to see if you wake up and well..." he chuckles at Masamune. "Out like a light."

"Can you come with us?" The short, dark-haired nurse asks me. "We want to measure, weigh, and x-ray you to gauge your health."

"And to feed you," Dr. Haitani adds to me, "You won't be eating solids for a while."

Oh. Like a baby then? The thought makes me feel embarrassed, the fact that I can't do anything for myself yet. I look to Masamune; he seemed very tired. He'll still be here when I come back, right? I don't want to wake him. Facing Dr. Haitani again I attempt to nod.

"Good then! Let's see..." he and the nurse carefully peel me away from Masamune, and I feel myself heat up for the fact that I felt like a helpless child as they set me in the wheelchair.

"Ah," I look to see the nurse looking over at Dr. Haitani with a nervous smile. "Shouldn't we tell Dr. Takano...?"

"Nah." He quietly, but swiftly pushes me out the door. "He'll figure it out."

I look back to Masamune, mouthing a 'see you soon' before looking ahead and around the surroundings I was being introduced to.

* * *

It was just a hour in when Masamune woke up alarmed to seeing no Ritsu. For a while he patted the bed to make sure and then narrowed his eyes as he walked out the room, snarling. "Haitani..."

...

Ritsu never felt so embarrassed; he wondered what was going to top this later in life.

He couldn't quite get it past his lips, from the spoon the meal equivalent to baby food dribbled down the side of his lips. It felt nice though, that the nurse sympathized with him, as herself was fed like this when she was extremely ill and disoriented one summer during her college years.

Just as long as Masamune doesn't see this, Ritsu thought, it would be okay. It was just so humiliating, and admittedly childish. Of course, Masamune was his husband, and he shouldn't feel afraid to hide anything from him, but this...

This...

This was really embarrassing!

 _'But...'_ Ritsu thought, his mindset having not realized how much Masamune changed emotionally despite having been told he's been out some 3 years, _'It's just the nurse that will do this right?'_ His mind went back recently (note, long time ago) to when he was sick and couldn't eat on his own; Takafumi and An were the ones to help him through all it.

Masamune didn't seem to particularly care about helping and that was fine by An and Ritsu (Takafumi was obviously a little irked).

Surely, Masamune wouldn't do this with him.

 _'Please no, please no, please no,'_ Ritsu prayed silently, trying his best to work his lips and cheek muscles as the nurse continued to feed and praise him.

"HAITANI!" He and nurse flinched as they heard Masamune rounding the corner in a rage. "Where's Ritsu?!"

At this, Shin popped in his head, having been out the room to talk to another doctor, to ask. "Want him to see you?"

Glad that he asked, Ritsu tried his hardest to shake his head no, stopping as he began feeling lightheaded.

"Okay~" In many small, but quick motions, Shin took out his keys and turned on the lock just in case before shutting the door.

* * *

"Haitani..." Masamune tried to go around, frustrated as Shin simply mimicked him.

"He's being fed right now; you yourself should go get something to eat. You're off for the whole day anyway."

"Not hungry," he says, still trying to somehow get around him.

"He doesn't want to see you; he's got food dribbling down his lips like a baby. Let him be fed by the pretty nurse helping him like a mom-teacher."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"Well, it does; he's awake, Takano," Shin begins, trying to be serious, "He has choices now, emotions and can now somewhat vocalize his needs. And," he laughs, his seriousness fading just as quickly as it came,

"I still haven't told him that you practically changed his diapers for him and everything. The poor thing's going to be so freaked out; he probably wouldn't want to see you for the next few weeks."

Masamune glared at him, his fist ready to knock him out.

"Really though, go eat something. I'm going to let the nurse take him out to the garden to feel some sun while I go through his therapy plan."

"I wanted to take him out," Masamune says, frowning. "Just me and him."

Sighing, Shin took out his keys, faintly hearing the knock indicating that Ritsu was done eating, which wasn't much since his stomach can't take too much yet. "Fine. But you better come back within an hour and not escape with him."

* * *

When was the last time we went outside together? Taking in the outside air of the garden, I breathe in and out before looking down at Ritsu.

Being in a wheelchair didn't seem to bother him, even though he put up a little fit when the nurse pushed him to me.

I frown. Was it me?

The handles of the wheelchair shift a little in my hands, and I realize that Ritsu has been staring at me wondering why we haven't moved. "Sorry," I smile at him, pushing him towards one of the rose bushes.

After that, we go to the fountain and I wondered if Haitani already showed Ritsu what he looked like now.

As we looked into the water, at our reflections, I couldn't help but smile again, at Ritsu.

Ritsu apparently noticed, and blushed, averting his eyes.

"Wei..." Hmm? What was he trying to say?

"What's wrong?" I ask, kneeling next to his side now and grabbing his hand. "Do you want to touch the water?"

Obviously not, with the slight shake of his head. The way he looked at me, he seemed confused about something. Was he wondering why his mother and sister weren't here to visit him? Or Yokozawa?

I didn't want to share him yet; it was tough enough now with Haitani and the nurses. I told myself I was going to feed him and everything but Haitani wants otherwise since Ritsu is his patient.

"Wei...rd," he had a look on his face that ringed, 'I got it!' "Weird!"

"What's weird?"

"..." He blushes. "...You."

I blink at him. "What? What's weird about me?"

He averts his eyes, and he seemed... afraid? What was happening in that mind of his?

"You're... too close." He manages to say, now looking at me a little concerned. "Why?"

What...?

"You..." That look on his face... That sad expression. "You're... n-not... angry... at me..?"


	5. Chapter 5

_'Angry?'_ Masamune thought as he walked out of the elevator in his apartment complex. He couldn't fathom why Ritsu would ask that; looking back, he doesn't ever remember any particular moment in which he was angry at him. Well, other than some moments in high school.

He didn't answer Ritsu then, because the nurse came by to talk to him, and Haitani pulled him away to tell him about the housing arrangements for when Ritsu recovers enough and was able to return home.

 _'Why would he ask-?'_ He paused, surprised to see Takafumi, who looked back at him with the door a little open, mimicking his expression.

"What are you doing here?" Takafumi asked, despite this not being his home, "Is Ritsu okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Masamune continued walking towards him, reluctantly saying, "He woke up."

"Really?" Takafumi smiled, before realizing something and frowning. "And you didn't care to call us?"

"I didn't want to call anyone yet so..."

"Yeah, yeah," Takafumi went into the apartment, knowing of Masamune's 'I don't want to share' fits, and says, "I know. You don't have to explain."

Following him in, Masamune swept his eyes everywhere. It was clean, everything left the way it was before he left to stay at the hospital.

"As I told you before," Takafumi begins, "I never changed your sheets since you guys' bedroom seemed already neat, so I'd go change that if I were you before he comes home."

"What are you doing here anyway? What about your case?"

Takafumi takes a deep breath and sighs. "Continues tomorrow for another three days."

"Oh? What happened?"

"The parents- the victims were involved with Interpol; now everybody at that hotel is being investigated. Misaki is no longer guilty though; but he's still being kept at the detention center until tomorrow. I'm going to let him stay with me."

"What? Why?" Masamune asked. "Is the whole family still thinking of him as the murderer?"

"Actually, they acted like little kiss-ups and said they knew the whole time he was innocent. Very annoying," Takafumi opens his cell phone to look at something.

"That even made them more suspicious, and Misaki didn't feel safe with them anymore, which was reasonable. Since he doesn't really know much about living here in the city, me and Henmi are going to let him work with us a bit and learn the ropes. He's already 18 going on 19 this year, so he's more than able to go where he wants."

Masamune nods in agreement. "That's good. Does that mean your part in the case is over?"

"Nope. Usami still insists on taking me on for some reason so I guess that means I'll be defending whoever they track down."

"Doesn't he write on the side?"

"I think so-" Takafumi paused upon remembering something, and he made his way to the door. "I'll be right back."

"What?"

"I need to buy you guys' new bed sheets. Don't touch anything," he says, shutting the door.

Scoffing that he was being told that in his own home, Masamune went to his bedroom. It wouldn't be so wrong for him to take out the sheets so it'll be easier to put on the new ones, right?

However, once he pulled off the blankets, he stared at the not-completely-white sheet spread across the mattress. He stepped back a little in disbelief before he remembered, to his horror, what transpired back then. It was a little after he blew up the first storm, too mad to care for anything he did. Angry at particularly no one.

Especially not at Ritsu, but he still...

He staggers back against the bedroom door, sinking down inch by inch slowly. Hiding his face with his hands in shame, he began shaking, his shoulders hunched as he started to sob.

...

"I should've known you'd find out."

Masamune lessened his sobs, still hiding his face as Takafumi walked in with newly bought sheets.

After pulling off the bed sheet, he put it in a bundle and dumped it next to Masamune, who flinched. "Here, go throw these away while I put in the new one."

"When..." Masamune struggled to start, "When did you know..."

"When he called me after he woke up," Takafumi said, remembering. "You left for who knows where after you left him fainted on the bed."

"Fai..." Masamune clenched his hands into fists. "Fainted..."

"He washed them but the blood wouldn't come off so he made sure always to keep the blanket over the bed because he really liked those sheets. Actually, some of it leaked onto the mattress..."

"Oh god..." he choked out hoarsely. "I need to burn it."

"Just throw it away and get a new one like a normal person!" Takafumi scoffs, laying the sheet on and doing the corners.

"Why didn't he..."

"Tell you?" he scoffs again. "What would you have done back then? I doubt you would care. You would always stalk off and slam the doors, and throw things. Ritsu always felt it was his fault for everything you did." Takafumi paused for a moment before fluffing the long pillow that served as both Masamune and Ritsu's.

"You directed your anger towards him, even if you didn't realize it."

Masamune cringed at that, looking up to see that the bed was finished. He stood as his friend walked out into the kitchen, following him, watching as Takafumi sets up for some tea.

"Remember to buy some food before he comes home." Receiving no answer, he looked to see Masamune staring soullessly down on the counter surface. "Masamune?"

"You're better for him... than me."

...

He went back hard as Takafumi slapped him hard across the face, reeling against the counter as Takafumi glared at him.

"Are you saying you don't want to take care of him now?!" Takafumi asks, furious.

"NO!" Masamune yells, glaring as well. "I WANT TO! BUT-"

"BUT WHAT?!" Takafumi shouts, "YOU DON'T LOVE HIM ANY-"

He held his ground as Masamune tried to shove him over. "I LOVE HIM!" he roars, not caring if it bothered the neighbors. "DON'T EVER THINK THAT I-"

"THEN TAKE CARE OF HIM!" Takafumi shoves him back, taking deep breaths before turning on the stove to boil the tea. He glanced to see Masamune leaned over the counter, take deep breathes as he tried to calm down, his fists still clenched. "You know, I'm not Superman," he huffs. "I can't do everything."

He walked to sit on the stool next to Masamune and continued. "And it's not in your right to decide who takes care of Ritsu. Even if he stayed with me, he wouldn't be... happy. Up until he blacked out he was thinking of you, asking me to make sure you ate dinner."

"Stupid," he continues even further. "Both of you."

"I... I don't want to hurt him again."

"Then don't." Takafumi says simply. "We're all adults now compared to back then; although," he got off his stool to take out two mugs. "Ritsu probably doesn't realize that yet. He'll probably blow his eyes out when he finds out An is pregnant, and that his favorite novel series ended on a cliffhanger because the author decided to drop out of it to retire."

"He probably hates me now."

Takafumi rolls his eyes at him. "Are you listening to yourself? You were with him when he woke up and everything."

"He said I was too close and asked if I was still... angry at him."

"See? He doesn't sound like he hates you. Knowing him, he's going to think later that you're with him out of guilt. Even to this day he probably still thinks you don't really love him," he says, turning off the stove as the teapot whistled.

"But I do!"

"Then tell him! You know, it's both you guys' fault that things are like this. Now it's time to fix it."

* * *

Masamune paused before he walked into Ritsu's temporary room. The room as dark, but the moon shined bright enough to see. Quietly, he peered in to see Ritsu sitting up, looking up at the clock on the wall.

Waiting for him.

He swallowed at the thought, nervous. He walked in, his heart racing as Ritsu smiled at him. "Hi," he says softly, putting up his bag on one of the chairs and walking over to him to sit on Ritsu's right side as he always did. "Did you eat?"

Ritsu nods, and Masamune watched as he shakily tried to bring his hands closer to him. Smiling, he took those hands into his own, feeling those hands flexing as they tried to grip on to him.

"You'll get the hang of it soon."

"Di..." Ritsu tried to say, "Did yo...u... eat?"

He swallowed again, reminded of what Takafumi had told him. "Yeah..." he patted Ritsu's hands. "I did." With that, he moved to lay down next to Ritsu, the latter attempting to scoot over until he finds himself lifted slightly to lean against Masamune, who hugs him close.

Finding it comfortable, Ritsu sighs at the position, before looking up at Masamune, unsure.

"What's wrong?"

Ritsu merely continues to look before shaking his head a little in 'nevermind', tilting his head back to rest against Masamune. "'ight," he mumbles, a light blush spread faintly on his cheeks.

"Good night," Masamune whispers, giving a kiss to Ritsu's forehead before burying his nose into his hair. Tomorrow, he thought, he would make sure that he gets to feed Ritsu, and everything else his husband needed and wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014) Wahh! Spring Break's almost over! DX


	6. Chapter 6

Hmm... Everything feels nice. Opening my eyes, I see the room cast in a light orange tint. Is it morning? Hearing soft snores I remember Masamune, and I smile that I woke up first.

Yawning, I try and stretch out my body; I could faintly feel my muscles working. Looking down, I smile as I can move my toes a little. Hopefully I'll be able to walk soon.

A soft knock gets my attention and I greet the nurse named Eru with a smile when she walks in with a wheelchair.

"Ready for breakfast?" she whispers, glancing at Masamune. After what happened the other day, I still don't want Masamune to be there when I'm eating.

It's so embarrassing! Why does he want to be there when I eat?!

We almost made our getaway, and by almost I mean halfway being carried into my wheelchair.

Masamune's arm remained around me, and once he felt my moving he snapped his eyes open- which was very startling- and narrowed them. "What are you doing?" he asks, his voice cutting through our panicking silence.

"It's time for breakfast!" Eru says, trying to sound cheerful, I think.

"You don't have to." What is he saying? "I'll do it from now on." W-what?!

Nononononononono- I try and scoot away from him to her, desperate to get away. What-

My arms- is this adrenaline?! My arms are halfway up in the air! Wait...

That's not enough, isn't it? I can't even get a good grip yet! "Wow, you're almost there!" Eru praises. "Soon you'll get to open your food jar by yourself!"

Really? I feel a little happy at the thought. If I can open at least one I'll probably cry happy!

I... I'm not in the wheelchair yet, I realized; Masamune and Eru are in a painless tug-of-war. I want to get in the wheelchair. I look at Masamune, hoping he could see that I didn't like this.

He doesn't. He was glaring at Eru.

Now I take a look to the wheelchair. It seemed right within reach if I try my hardest to swing myself over. I can do this. Will by hips and butt hurt? Probably. But it's worth it.

No, not really. But I want to try. I try to get in grip with my body- if I can just put my weight on here...

Then here! *crash* "Ritsu!" I hear Eru shout.

Oww...

Owowow... I lay as I saw stars; my side hurts and I think I bumped my head...

Blinking a little, I look to see that I made the wheel chair fall over- oh. OH.

I did not know I was that far from it.

Suddenly, I felt hands on my face, blushing when I see Masamune's face so close to me. I was lifted into the air and back on the bed, Masamune fussing over me.

It made me feel flustered; I mean, I just fell. He began kissing my cheek and forehead. It felt nice, but he seemed to not understand that he didn't need to fuss over this so much; I look over at Eru for help. To my surprise, Dr. Haitani is here and talking to her.

"Takano," he calls out as if he just entered, "Go get ready for work and let my nurse do hers!"

Masamune glares a lot, I realize. He glared a lot back then too, didn't he? No...

Back then was more of a uninterested and bored look, apart from when he got angry. Now that I think about it, Masamune doesn't have that look on him all that much now.

Which was strange.

It's not like I don't like it, I'm just not used to it. I'm not even given a explanation for this and everyone seems to think normal of it. I don't think Masamune even realizes this.

"Ritsu~" I look at Dr. Haitani, wondering what he wanted. "Do you want Takano to feed you?"

I shake my head, resisting the urge to glance at Masamune. I can hear his sigh though, either dejected or relieved, I don't know; I wondered if he wanted to do this because he felt obligated to.

Masamune seemed... bothered, I think, as he looked at me. "You don't want me to feed you?"

Did he want me to answer him verbally? "N-no..." A part of me wondered if he felt like he felt like he had to, and added, "Do-n't for...ce yourself." Almost had it there... I thought I was going to bite my tongue for a second there!

"Don't force myself?" he repeats, frowning. "What do you mean by that-"

Dr. Haitani pulls him out the door with some protests. "Nuh-uh, off to work we go!"

...

I was almost there by lunch time. The first step.

The first step of opening the jar: putting a grip on the lid.

It took all my might, and only to realize that I don't have the strength to turn the lid halfway. My lips quivered a little, saddened at the thought of how long it'll take for me to lift even barely 5 pounds. I'm 25 now, I think, for goodness sake!

Eru tried to cheer me up as she helped me grip onto my spoon to fed myself. She reminded me of An for some moments; maybe they could be good friends. I wonder how she's doing.

Afterwards she took me back to my room, and another nurse comes in with some objects to help me lift a little to gain back my muscle. They told me that eating and getting my stomach back to normal is top priority with muscle gaining second. Handwriting and reading I could do later.

* * *

Finally finished with his last patient, Masamune cleaned up quickly before heading to Ritsu's room, stopping Eru from going in. He missed lunch and he wasn't going to miss dinner; he had eaten earlier in the evening.

"Dr. Takano!" Eru protests, "Ritsu doesn't want to you feed him!"

"Please, just this once."

"No way! We both know you don't mean that!" She now spoke a little quieter to him, "It would really embarrass him if you did, when he can't get the food past his mouth with his lips. He doesn't want you to see him like that."

Masamune stares at her in disbelief. "That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it?'! Really," she puts a hand to her hip. "You don't really understand him, don't you?"

"There's no problem in that though, of course he wouldn't be able to work it all in his mouth completely."

"It's still embarrassing! Ritsu is very sensitive, you know," she says, before reluctantly adding, "He all about melted down when Dr. Haitani told him about the things you did for him. I've never seen him so red and upset."

He frowns. "Did he cry?"

"No, he just looked like he wanted to hide under a rock forever. Me and another nurse had to shove Dr. Haitani out of the room because he kept laughing. And," she huffs at him, "We all told you to let his mother take care of him since she wanted to! What did you think he was going to say about it to you? 'Oh, thanks for changing my diapers and taking me baths! You're the best!'?! He's grateful I'm sure, but it horrified him!"

"I was hoping he wouldn't ask..."

"Really, you're..." she turns back towards Ritsu's room with a long glance at him. "Ritsu wants me to feed him for now, not you. Get that through your head, please. At least abide to his wishes just once. Don't peek either; he glances to the door a lot." With that she went in, leaving Masamune alone to think.

* * *

I've always done what I wanted.

Sighing, I sit in my office with only the moon's light lighting everything up enough. My room seemed professional enough, I suppose. It was devoid of any particular touches.

It was so empty. Glancing around, I realize I don't even have any pictures- do we even have pictures at home? Ritsu and Yokozawa would know.

I lay my head on the dark mahogany desk, the cold surface doing nothing to help me.

We never even did a wedding; court and that was it. I didn't want a wedding, and Ritsu was okay with it.

Of course he was okay with it. But...

Ritsu wanted a wedding, did he? Or maybe wanted a small celebration but a special occasion nonetheless. Now that I thought about it, the only thing material I ever gave him out of our marriage was that ring no longer on his hand. Ritsu would always play with it on his fingers along with keeping it clean. He treasured it.

Groaning, I hit my head against the desk some three times. I'm a horrible husband.

I couldn't even find that ring after two days of searching.

We didn't even go on a honeymoon.

Did we even do anything on his birthday? I hit my head again. Why do I not remember things like this?

Cause I'm an asshole, of course.

He won't even let me feed him. And that really hurt.

_"Knowing him, he's going to think later that you're with him out of guilt."_

That's not true. Never...

If anything, I did everything because I felt as if I was getting closer to him. If I had let his mother take over, she probably would shoo me away. I didn't deserve her only son.

Her only son that I tended to take for granted of in the past.

Her only son that has every right to be angry with me, but he's not. Without knowing it, he spoiled me.

So, it's my turn now. Not because I feel like I have to, like I'm obligated to because of guilt.

It's because I want to. Because I love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)The funny thing about perspectives is that I would agree with Eru, because I wouldn't have known Masamune so personally, you know?
> 
> I feel like I've put Haitani into a little Isaka role XD


	7. Chapter 7

He asked me about what I remember.

When I gathered enough thought to tell him about what I remember, I looked to see him sleeping. He's been acting strangely after Eru helped me wash my face and mouth after dinner and left for the night.

Maybe it wasn't strange... just unusual. Maybe. He seemed bothered yet again about something.

I remember mostly everything but the details of that day getting hit by that car. I know Takafumi was there, and that I lost my ring... but that was about it.

I remember what home looked like, and... those sheets. Takafumi must have thrown them away, which sucks because those were really soft sheets I had won at a store lottery. Very soft...

I never won store lottery either so I was really happy.

I wish I could have taken out those spots better though. I hope Masamune didn't see them; he might get upset. He tended to think too much, an observation I made when I saw him become overwhelmed (he didn't show it, but I felt it) with an out-of-the book assignment involving bones. Even Takafumi nagged about it when we went out drinking with us. Well, I didn't drink, but I still went with them.

I hoped Takafumi didn't tell him. It wasn't that bad, that night. I didn't want it that much but he really wanted it, so I let him. I was tired though, so of course I fainted. I don't know where he went when I woke up, and the blood sure did surprise me. When that happened I knew why having lotion or lube by the bedside was important.

I remember that Masamune's birthday is on Christmas Eve, and that we got married...

In the fall? I frown a little, trying to remember. In October? September? In March? No, that's my birthday...

I need to find the papers when I get home...

Papers...? Books...? A dictionary comes to mind. That's right.

He was angry that day. So stressed; I couldn't help him no matter how I tried. The dictionary hurt and I looked up to see him slam the door to another room. I don't think he meant to throw it at me in particular, but I still felt bad.

How did he get through with that happening to him? And what happened to me?

Takafumi might know...

...

Is it morning? I didn't know I was sleeping until I realized that it was Summer; cherry blossoms couldn't be fluttering about this season. I open my eyes to see Masamune changing. Quickly I look away to the window, distracting myself with the sky. There are clouds out.

"You awake?" I focus on him now, as he said that.

"...morning," I say, my voice becoming clearer. Talking and moving my head are becoming more easier than doing everything else.

It goes quiet suddenly, and I remember yesterday. He changed me and everything; I turn away from him, my face probably red.

Why would he do that?! I can't imagine it being willingly...

But, if it happened to Masamune, I would do it. Is it okay to apply that to here?

Wait... he couldn't have done it all the time. Maybe Takafumi helped? Or Mom for a little bit? The nurses for sure.

"What's wrong?" Masamune asks me, and to my surprise he was sitting next to me on the bed.

"You changed.. me?"

"Yes." He continues. "Don't be upset. It wasn't like there was something I hadn't seen yet, so don't worry about it."

"S-still!"

"Would you have done it for me?"

"Y...yes," I say, after a pause. "I would."

"See?" he ruffles my hair. He didn't say anything after that; he just smiles at me.

He...

He looks very nice. A hand on my cheek, he wouldn't let me look away. All I could do was just look back, those amber-brown eyes staring me with a look that made me feel...

...Loved?

Was that it? My heart is beating fast, and I hope he doesn't hear. I feel bad that I couldn't smile back; I merely felt my lips quiver again, not understanding what to do.

"Don't cry." What? I felt a thumb brushing at the side of my eye. I'm crying. Oh no. I want to hide my face, but he won't let me. He kisses my eyes and my forehead, moving my bangs out of the way. I look down for a bit, and I remember my ring as I felt his against my cheek again.

When he put his hand down, I moved my hand on his, my fingers shakily touching the smooth surface of his ring.

He knew what I was thinking about. "When Yokozawa told me that one week I looked around that street after my last classes for two days at least. Some other people ended up helping me too; we're pretty sure it went down to the sewers near the curb."

"O-oh..." I sniff. So I'll never get it back, huh?

"I'll get you a new one."

"No..." I immediately answer. "I do..t want another." If I got a new one, it wouldn't be the ring to his ring and I really don't want that.

He is quiet for a moment, and to my confusion he takes off his ring. Taking my hand in his he puts it on my finger, chuckling since it didn't have a snug fit. It made me smile a little. Lifting my hand a little, I shake off the ring so I can feel it with my fingers; I wondered if he put something on the inside like he did mine.

However, once I feel the engraving he takes it to put it on my thumb. "Let's put it here." I look up at him, and I see that he's hiding something.

* * *

 _'Oh crap,'_ Masamune thought, just remembering now what he put on their rings long ago. _'I can't believe I forgot.'_

He could never let Ritsu see what he put. Not many things embarrassed him, but this was one of them. He never told anyone else either other than the jeweler and Masamune was certain that the guy was holding back a laugh.

And he was pretty sure, back then and now, that Ritsu was the only person he was going to love. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone back then. He always tried to seem composed and not particularly caring by nature, something that stuck to his image along with looking cool even past high school. Although now, getting angry a lot, passionate, and yelling a lot was added to the list.

 _'Ugh...'_ He could feel Ritsu looking at him. _'I can't tell him.'_ This fool doesn't even realize that that Ritsu wouldn't think low of him or anything like that if he saw it.

"Did you... put one on mine too?" Ritsu asks him.

Masamune was secretly hesitant to say, but seeing that important-need-to-know look on his face he nodded. "Yeah. It's both..." he sighs. "Both of them have the same saying on them."

"..." He stopped Ritsu as the younger tried to take off the ring from this thumb to see. "Don't look!"

"Why?" Ritsu asks, his lips pouting. Masamune wondered if the man knew how cute he was being.

He refused to back down. "Just don't! It's something you don't need to know."

"I have wanted t...to know w-what it said," Ritsu says to him. "Ple...ase, tell me!"

"What's this?" They looked to see Shin, who grinned at him. "A lovers' spat?"

"Get out." Masamune ordered darkly.

"Come now!" He disappears for a moment to come back with a wheelchair. "It's time for Ritsu's breakfast and bath!"

Ritsu stiffens. "B-b-bath?!"

"Of course!" Shin says, "Eru will be up shortly after she sets it up."

"Oh," Ritsu sighs in relief. He had thought either Shin or Masamune was going to do it on their own.

"I should do it," Masamune says to Shin.

Shin grins at him to Ritsu. "What does the dear patient think?" Ritsu shakes his head furiously before pausing to clear his head of the light headache caused from it. "See? Now go to your office!"

"Ritsu," Masamune pleaded, grabbing his hands. "Let me."

He shakes his head, refusing to look him in the eye. He wasn't ready for them to be alone in that setting yet.

* * *

"It wasn't that bad, right?" Eru asks Ritsu as she wheels him back to his room after his bath. He nods happily, but that was short lived as he remembered how skinny and weak his body was.

Once she got him sitting on his bed she handed him a empty jar so he could practice opening it. "In a few hours we'll go outside, okay?" He nods, and she leaves the room to talk to Shin.

With that, he looks down at the ring on his thumb and takes the opportunity.

And what he saw surprised him greatly.

...

_'Forever, with my first and only love'_

He put that?! Since I couldn't lift my hands up to my face, I couldn't hide my flushed face. I mean, it could be considered a little embarrassing, but I found it touching. I didn't know he thought this of me like I did of him.

What was so bad that he didn't want to tell me?

"Eh, what's wrong?" I look to see Eru, and she takes the ring before I can protest, curiously looking inside. "..."

Placing a hand on her mouth, I gape at her as she hides her laughter poorly.

"It's not funny!" I feel my lips quiver again, "It's touching!"

Dr. Haitani comes in. "What's so funny?" She shows him. "..." Grinning widely, he lets out a loud laugh- seriously, it's not funny!- before taking the ring and running out. "I'm going to tell everyone!" I gape in horror.

"NNnnnoooooo!"

* * *

Almost lunch, I thought as I look down at my watch. It wouldn't be wrong to eat early with Ritsu, and then leave when it was his time to eat.

Stepping out of the elevator, my senses heightened as I heard Ritsu's voice.

"NNnnnoooooo!"

I charged ahead, pushing Haitani back into the room as he was running. "What did you do?" I ask threateningly. I look up to Eru, who stepped back with her hands up showing nothing, to Ritsu, who looked at me in surprise before turning shy and looking away.

I don't see the ring on his hand. Blinking, I go to Haitani's hands, taking back the ring with a glare.

This didn't seem to bother him, because he still smiled and ran out of the room. "I'm still telling!"

Sighing in irritation at the man who was currently acting like a gossiping middle-schooler, I go back to Ritsu and put the ring back on his thumb. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah..." Ritsu says quietly, still not looking at me. "Thank you..."

I hear Eru laughing, "Dr. Takano, I didn't know you could be so romantic!"

Glaring at her for some seconds, she surrendered and left the room to get Ritsu's lunch. When I look back to Ritsu, he was playing with the ring on his thumb, using two fingers to rotate it back and forth.

Feeling my gaze on him, he looks up at me, his eyes lowered in uncertainty before finally looking at me head on. Once our eyes connected he looked down again, making me sigh.

Instead of sitting next to him I lean over his lap slightly, trying to get in eye contact with him. Eventually he lets up, but he glances to the side a lot. "I..."

"I liked it," he whispers, sending sensations down my spine. Lightly blushing, he looks me in the eye for a moment. "I don't think it was funny." He pauses suddenly, and I wonder what was going through his head. Back then I could see through him, but now-

He's smiling.

All I could do was stare. He's smiling. He's smiling? It wasn't one of those sad smiles I saw in my dreams before he magically disappears.

"Thank you," he whispers softly, our eyes connecting on a level that made _me_ want to cry.

This is just like that dream, but happy. He isn't going anywhere. He isn't sad. He isn't going to leave.

I wasn't aware of the fingers shakily making their way up on the right side of my face. Once I did, I put my hand over his and brought it up to my cheek. Before I knew it, I had my head on his lap and stomach, my arms wrapped around him.

He's so warm. From here I can hear his heartbeat too. The sound makes me smile. I sigh as I feel his fingers going through my hair.

"Thank _you_ ," I whisper back, savoring the moment before Haitani and Eru come back.

I can't wait until I'm able to take him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)I can't wait to do the backstory for Ritsu's parents. I really like to think that Ritsu is more like his father, with some quirks from his mother. But prepare, it's sort of a sad story, cause- dundundun, An is his step-sister, but a sister nonetheless.


	8. Chapter 8

_'Ugh...' Masamune groaned as he awakened, finding himself on the couch slumped uncomfortably over the armrest. He stretched, wincing slightly at the pain. 'What happened?' He yawns, scratching his head as he glanced around seeing that the natural light throughout the room meant it was the afternoon._

_"Ritsu?"_

_No response. Frowning, he sauntered about, finding no sign of the brunet. Did he do something wrong? He remembered that he felt... he was so... angry._

_He... did he yell at him or something?_

_"Ritsu, if I did something, I'm sorry..." He said aloud._

_'Maybe he went somewhere.' Finding his phone stuck between the couch cushions, he begins calling._

_To his surprise, he found Ritsu's cell phone on the kitchen counter._

_"Idiot... leaving without your phone." He whispered to no one in particular, flipping Ritsu's phone open._

_'Yokozawa was going to come?' He doesn't recall their friend over last night. 'Did something happen?'_

_Once Takafumi picked up Masamune's call, the latter frowned upon hearing rushed voices and beeping. "Yokozawa?"_

_"...Masamune?"_

_"Did something happen? It sounds busy wherever you are."_

_"..."_

_"...Is something wrong?"_

_"Are... Are you alright?"_

_"Um, yeah. Do you know where Ritsu went? He left his cell phone here."_

_"He's- he's with me."_

_"Can I talk to him? Last night I-"_

_"He can't." Masamune hears more rushed voices. "He... he said you needed space, so he's staying with me."_

_"What?" Masamune felt something was wrong; Ritsu... he wouldn't actually think that he needed that, did he? "Let me talk to him," he says in an urgent tone._

_"He can't. Just... Just give a week or so. You have those exams right? Just focus on that."_

_"Is... is he angry at me?" Ritsu never seemed angry at him. He couldn't imagine it. He swallowed, a horrible feeling washing over him._

_"...Yes. I swear though, if I catch you out drinking-"_

_"I won't!" he says, now annoyed by the warning. He wasn't drinking for fun you know. He was going to hang up but sucked in a breathe upon remembering Ritsu. "Please, can I just talk to Ritsu?"_

_"No, he- Aaaaahhhhh!" Masamune startled at the scream that interrupted Takafumi._ _It sounded like Ritsu._

_"Ritsu?!" Masamune said into the phone, hoping his voice could reach him, "Ritsu?! Oy, Yokozawa!"_

_"Did you eat last night?" He could still hear Ritsu's faint screaming in the background. Why was Takafumi being like this?_

_"What's happening to Ritsu?!"_

_"Did you eat last night?"_

_He gave out a frustrated sigh, speaking quickly. "Sure. I guess so. I see a dirty dish in the sink."_

_"Good. Make sure you eat everyday and-"_

_"Yokozawa," he warned, annoyed with the sudden mothering._ _He hears a sigh at the other end. "He's just... hurt, okay? Just focus on studying, please. Give him a week."_

_"Oy-" He stops there, hearing the long beep indicating that Takafumi hung up on him. No matter how much he would call after that, Takafumi didn't pick up._

_..._

_Silence. That was all he heard._

_..._

_No Ritsu shuffling around, no sounds of books being read other than his class material._

_The television doesn't help. Just pure noise with no live commentary and chat from Ritsu._

_..._

_No Ritsu greeting him back home or leaving with him to go shopping._

_..._

_He didn't realize he was sort of a sleep hugger when he woke up hugging Ritsu's end of the pillow to his face and chest, murmuring his love's name before realizing that it wasn't him, it was a pillow._

_He could never tell the brunet that he smelled really good. That sounded sort of creepy. Even if the brunet himself jumped and smelled his own bed that one time in high school._

_..._

_It was lonely and a week was almost up. Was it normal to fantasize your lover in the shower with you?_

_..._

_"Oy, Yokozawa!" He could practically hear his friend's cringe at his loud voice. Finally, he managed to catch him on the phone._

_"What?! Ri-"_

_"I passed them!"_

_"The exams?! That's great! L-"_

_"I want to tell Ritsu. Let me talk to him. It's been a week."_

_"..."_

_"...? What?"_

_"Can you wait one more month-"_

_"Damn it! Let me talk to Ritsu!"_

_"I can't! I-" He heard faint rapid beeping, as if Takafumi was outside of a room. "What's wrong?!" he hears Takafumi ask._

_"He's having a seizure! We need a doctor to Ritsu, stat!" He hears another voice, a woman. "Please take your phone call outside!"_

_He_ _hears Takafumi curse, "Sorry, Masamune. You're going to have to call-"_

_"I HEARD THEM SAY RITSU!" He lowered his voice as a neighbor knocked from the wall, "Where's Ritsu?!"_

* * *

_He stared numbly ahead in the elevator of the hospital._

_What was he going to see?_

_What happened to Ritsu?_

_"Masamune..." Takafumi greeted him, not letting him into the room. 'Wait, I went into the room, no one out in the hallway to talk to me...'_

_"Is Ritsu-"_

_"I'm sorry." Suddenly, Masamune realizes that Takafumi was wearing black. 'What? He wasn't wearing that when this-'_

_He looked down at himself, staggering back as he saw that he was wearing black. 'No...'_

_"The funeral is-"_

"NO!" Masamune shouts, "It didn't end like that!" his hands scrambling about. "It didn't..."

Ritsu woke, trying to blink through his currently bleary vision as Masamune began holding him tighter and pecking kisses over his face. "Mmm... morning?" he says, a little confused since he sees that it's still dark.

"Ritsu," Masamune sighs in relief, eventually placing his head in the crook of Ritsu's neck, snuggling in and relaxing.

 _'Did something happen?'_ wondered Ritsu before he fell back asleep again, more sleepy than awake.

* * *

"Aurgh..."

"What's with all the groaning?"

Masamune glared at Shin, who waltzed in uninvited with his questioning. "Get out."

"Frustrated? With phone in hand?" Shin smiled. "Finally calling the friend and family?"

"Yeah," he answers reluctantly. "Yokozawa said his case should end by tomorrow morning so he'll be coming, but he already found out about it some days ago."

"So now's the family! What are you waiting for?"

...

An set down the cookies as her fiancé poured the tea, smiling as he smiled at her. For her father's sake he cut his dark hair enough that he couldn't tie it. Silly enough as it was, her father begged it to be done because he read an omen and had an unfortunate case of bad luck one day.

He was okay with it of course, wanting to cease his future father-in-law's superstitious worries. However, with his future mother-in-law...

"Please don't worry about Mom," An says to him as they sit and eat. "Again, for the many times I told you not to worry."

"Was she like this with Masamune?"

She nods. "Yeah, well..." She pauses in thought. "She... She was..." After a long painful silence, she pats his hand. "She'll come to like you two eventually."

"The silent treatment is so harsh though."

An sips her tea. "It'll be okay," she smiles. "Daddy likes you, so that's good."

"Your father is a very nice person," he sighs. "So nice."

"Saved you from the glaring at that one party?"

"Yep." Hearing the phone ring, An goes to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"An?"

She widens her eyes, glancing at her lover before putting it on speaker. "Yes? Did something happen to Ritsu, Masamune?"

"He's awake."

"He is?!" Her fiancé says excitedly, beaming. "That's great! How long has he been awake? Since this morning?"

"...Almost a week now."

"..."

"..."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!" An and him yelled into the phone, stunned by the revelation.

They heard groaning from the other line before Masamune continues. "Come visit him tomorrow around the afternoon. Yokozawa's going to be there also. And..." he pauses. "Tell your parents for me."

"Okay!" An answers. "They'll be so happy!"

"Oy, Kazuto," Masamune begins.

"Yes?"

"Is... Is she talking to you yet?"

"..."

"..."

He goes off dramatically to the side. "No! She hates us!"

"She doesn't hate you two!" An huffs. "It'll just take some time."

"Masamune and Ritsu have been together since high school and she hasn't cracked once! How long will it be for us?!"

"Until she dies," Masamune says.

"That's mean!" An scolds, "She wouldn't... I mean," she frowns now, uncertain. "Sh-she wouldn't, would she?"

"So you have doubts."

"Of course I have doubts, Masamune!" she pouts. "I want all of us to work out, but Mom..."

"I, what?" A curious voice asks, and An and Kazuto look in shock to see the woman just now coming in. She was out gardening.

"..." They just stare at her wide-eyed, and the phone line goes dead immediately.

* * *

I was confident.

I can do it.

"Are you sure?" Eru asks me, looking worried.

"Yes!" I say, looking up at the time. "I'm getting better." Just one dinner this once.

"Eh... If you feel okay enough," she says to me, and begins walking out of the room. "I'll go tell him."

...

Okay, nevermind... Nevermind! Once I saw that smile accompanied with that spoon my confidence was thrown out the window.

Why does he look so happy to feed me?! Does he not realize how much this effects me?!

Once the spoon went in my mouth I didn't let go; not until I made sure it wouldn't come out on the side.

"Ritsu," he chuckles, the sound making me nervous, "Let go."

I gulp, and slowly, I pulled back; I felt nothing on my chin or anything! I did it!

"Eru said you're eating from more than three jars right?" I nod. "That's great. Soon you'll be eating solids and that'll really help your stomach get back to its normal size."

Eating real food again... I sort of forgot what it tasted like. More flavorful than what I was eating I suppose.

When he fed me again it was okay; I'm getting the hang of it again. Then the next step is being able to hold the spoon to feed myself.

"Did you eat already?" I ask after a spoonful.

"Yes. Just something from the cafeteria."

"Oh," I say, and he feeds me again.

"Is there anything in particular you want to eat when you get better?"

Hmm... "Nothing in particular... I think just being able to eat again is enough. But, mochi sounds nice."

"The ones your family make on New Years?"

"Yeah... Oh!" I remember his birthday. "I, I don't know how I'll make it up, but what did you want for your birthday? Christmas? Valentines?" Man, I have a lot to make up when I move properly again.

"...For you to wake up." Oh.

It's quiet after this, and I don't really know what to say. "Um... I-"

"You don't have to make anything up for me. Just let me do everything."

"What? No way! I-" he puts the spoon in my mouth. Swallowing, I talk again. "That's not fair!"

"What's wrong with letting me do things for you? You've done a lot for me."

I frown, confused. "No I haven't. Not enough." And it was true.

I can cook, but I wasn't as good as him. The least I can do for him is wash the dishes and keep the kitchen clean for him.

I can try and converse with him about books and such, but him and Takafumi have a lot more in common and plenty of things to talk about.

I can clean, but I can never reach the high places and sometimes I mix the colors in the laundry. He doesn't know how much pink and teal or other strangely colored underwear I have thrown away.

"Not enough," I repeat, taking in a spoonful when he fed it to me.

"Sometimes," he says to me after a while, "I wonder what you see compared to what I see." What does he mean by that? He feds me again. "Do you not expect me to do anything for you?"

Slowly, I nod my head. That was right, right? Hmm... I slowly shake my head now, unsure. I mean, I'll ask if I want something, but there isn't anything I want at the moment you know? It's not like I expect him to be all lovey-dovey or anything like that. If I need anything I'll ask, or do it myself.

If it's something I expect from him, I guess, is that he love me back. And he does, so everything's fine. Now, I just want to get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)There are those moments where you get dream flashbacks but at the end it ends up totally wrong to a nightmare and *shudders*


	9. Chapter 9

The sky was a faint blue when Ritsu woke, the light illuminating the room in a pale glow. He couldn't sleep now. Smiling, he turned his head to look over at Masamune.

 _'They're going to come visit today!'_ He thought happily, thinking of their family and friends. Remembering that he was wearing just a patient's gown, he wondered if he could wear regular clothes for today.

 _'It must be really early,'_ Ritsu gathered, hearing quiet all around him apart from Masamune's soft breathing. Without shaking, he managed to raise his hands up from the side to grip lightly on Masamune's chest. Despite being only halfway up, he was doing really well getting better.

He remembered some things Shin had told him; that if he hadn't gotten into a coma, he would have healed in about 1 or 2 months from the accident. Suddenly though, back then, he received horrible seizures due to the trauma. Shin had told him that he had woken some four times then to scream his head off and reject anybody touching him before immediately knocking out.

Sighing, he leaned closer to Masamune. He didn't want to think about that now. Focusing his attention on Masamune, Ritsu gazed at him. Slowly, his eyes wandered down to parted lips, blushing at a sudden thought.

 _'H-he's really asleep... So it would be okay, right? Right?'_ Swallowing hard, he moved his shoulder to and fro to shuffle closer to Masamune. Craning his head up slightly and forward, he softly planted a kiss to his husband's lips. Quickly, Ritsu shuffled back in place, looking away and biting his lips in embarrassment.

And before he thought that he got away with it, Ritsu was grabbed and held against Masamune's chest. "If you wanted me to kiss you, you could have just asked."

"W-w-were you up the wh-whole time...?!"

"...You know you still have your hands on my chest, right?"

"O-oh..." He was reluctant to pull away at the revelation. "It... It doesn't hurt does it?"

Masamune hugged him tight, "Almost. Which is a good thing, by the way," he plants a kiss on Ritsu's head, "You're getting stronger."

Ritsu couldn't help but feel a little bubbly at the sort of praise that was said to him. His rapid pacing heartbeat refused to die down, however, and he leaned against the broad chest, smiling at the heartbeat that almost about matched his.

* * *

"Ready?" An whispers excitedly to her mother and Kazuto. Her father had work that couldn't be avoided, but he sent his best. Kazuto grins while she notices, with a small pout, her mother simply staring ahead expressionlessly. "Mom..." With a reassuring pat to her arm, Kazuto pulls her a little back to talk to her more privately.

"Don't worry about her too much. I think this is her way to cope."

"With what? Rittie's awake! We even got to talk to him a little bit during breakfast..."

"I know, but..." Kazuto glances worriedly ahead. "Your father said she all she could do last night was stare at old photos and polishing one of her necklaces."

"...I see," An says quietly, eyes downcast, before latching on to his arm as they continued ahead.

...

"Mom! An!" Ritsu calls out happily, his hands shaking in anticipation. Masamune chuckles at his side, patting his hands down to calm Ritsu's shaking.

"Rittie!" An squeals, throwing herself forward before pausing abruptly in caution to see if it was okay to hug him. "Can I..?"

"Go silly," Masamune says, and she squeals again, hugging Ritsu.

"Too... tight...!" Ritsu gasped some seconds later, weakly patting on anything he could.

"Ah, sorry!" She pulls away, and they laugh a little before she remembers Kazuto, and pulls him up to Ritsu. "Rittie, this is Kazuto."

"A-ah..." Kazuto looks down nervously as Ritsu looks at him. Eventually, Ritsu smiles at him. "Nice to meet you, Ka-"

Kazuto then squeezes him in a hug, "I'll be the best big brother ever!"

"O-okay?" Ritsu says, in confusion at the abrupt hug since Kazuto was so happy Ritsu talked to him. As Kazuto pulled away, he asks, "So when's the wedding?" He was a little caught up since morning.

"When you get better of course! Silly," An and Kazuto smile at him, "It's sort of your wedding celebration too, you know." She huffs a little. "And don't let my wedding dreams get crushed in the dust."

"We already got married in the technical sense like you too," Kazuto says, chuckling, "But she wants us officially announced to everybody at the wedding so I'm still her fiancé."

"I can't wait to show you the dress, Rittie! It's everything I ever dreamed of!" She gushes, looking into her purse to look for her phone.

As he waits, he sees his mother near the window sitting on a chair looking over at him silently. "Mom?"

For a split second, he saw it: the worry, the pain, and the happiness. it was different now though, Ritsu noticed; she was still as a painting of a queen. _'What's wrong?'_ Ritsu wondered, holding out his arms as high and as far as he can.

"Mom?" he calls out, his hands still outstretched a little awkwardly.

She still continued to stare back at him without another movement, and it worried him. It seemed too familiar, but from where? Where...

And it came to him.

_7 year old Ritsu looked down at the casket being buried, biting his lip as he watched little by little as dirt was being piled on top. "Daddy..." he whispers, sniffing as he remembered how happy his father looked before leaving for the airport. He didn't want him to go, and his mother kept saying it 'was good for the company', so why not?_

_"You're going to be back soon, right?" he remembered himself asking._

_His father patted him on the head and smiled at him reassuringly. "Of course. Remember to take care of your mother for me while I'm gone."_

_"Okay!"_

_Ritsu sniffs again, remembering when they heard of the car accident back in England. He watched as his mother broke down after sending their relatives away, hiding herself in the bedroom. He wanted to go in and comfort her but she wouldn't answer his knocks and he knew it was rude to go in without expressed permission. He cried himself that night on his own bed with his mother joining him later in the night._

_When he looks up to search her out, he found her sitting where she sat earlier at the beginning of the service, staring at the building mound._

_'She looks like a sad princess...' Ritsu couldn't help but think, remembering the stories his father read to him. He wanted to cheer her up, but how? He remembered An's father, who never remarried after An was born. While he looked happy, Ritsu was sure the man got sad once in a while._

_His father told him how people try to seem like their okay when their not. A façade. Is that what was happening with his mother?_

_Hearing a cough, he sees his mother hiding her mouth with a hand, and he could see the tears wanting to come out. He couldn't say everything was going to be okay, but he wanted to do something._

_'Remember to take care of your mother while I'm gone.'_

_'How do I do that, Daddy?' Ritsu thought, at a loss as he remembered his father's words. He wanted to cry too, again and again until it all came out. He paused. Maybe that's what his mother wanted as well. Running to her, he hugs her at her side since she was sitting._

_"R-ritsu?" His mother says, startled as she came out of her small trance._

_"L-let's cry together..." Ritsu says, looking up at her. "Please?" he adds, remembering to be polite. She seems confused for a moment, and realizing what he was trying to do, she smiled sadly at him before hugging him back silently._

"Mom..." Ritsu says again, concerned for her.

She seems to stir a bit, and he sighs. "MOM!" he shouts. She visibly is startled, and they locked eyes for a moment.

"Ritsu," she simply says, getting up a little unsteadily before heading towards him.

"Mom, are you alright?" An asks, her hands ready to keep her steadily up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she breathes, giving a tired smile before going to hug Ritsu. After seconds of she pats his shoulders and arms gently, ignoring Masamune and Kazuto's presences. "Are you eating?"

"Yes," Ritsu answers, patting her hand, "Everyone has been taking care of me, especially Masamune."

"..." After a long wait for an answer, she gives a small nod with no further acknowledgement.

Frowning, Ritsu goes to grip her hand with one of his. "Are you really against Masamune and I together?"

"It's... It's not that." She looks everywhere else in the room that wasn't Masamune and Kazuto. Ritsu notices that.

"Even Kazuto too? An doesn't like just anyone you know."

An blushes. "R-rittie! I would say the same for you too!"

Giving a huff, their mother changed the subject. "Where is Dr. Haitani? I want to talk to him about something."

"Took his lunch break and is in his office," Masamune answers, and she departs quickly. Scoffing, he takes his eyes away from the door. "That is as far as acknowledgement I have ever received," he says, referring to the fact that she chose not to ignore him completely and made use of his information regarding Shin.

"Lucky..." Kazuto mumbles.

"Sorry we're late!" They look to see Takafumi, Henmi, and a newcomer younger than the both of them. Henmi continues, smiling at Ritsu. "You remember me, right?"

"Henmi," Ritsu answers, remembering the man around his age that was a kouhai to Takafumi for a while.

"Right!" He presents some bouquet of flowers. "I wanted to buy you snacks, but Yokozawa said you can't eat yet, so..."

"It's fine. Thank you!" Ritsu smiled.

"Are you from that village about two hours away?" Kazuto asks the newcomer, regarding him by his clothing that consisted of a dark green casual kimono wear.

"Y-yes..." he bows, "It's nice to meet you!" His dark, olive green eyes swept around the room before they locked with Ritsu's. "...!"

"...? What is it?" Ritsu asks, his brows furrowed close in confusion.

"Noth... Nothing," he bows, his brown locks bouncing as he did so. "I'm Takahashi Misaki. It's nice to meet you!"

"Oh," Ritsu looks from Masamune to Takafumi. "He was your client right?"

"Ah, yeah," Takafumi replies. "He'll be staying with me."

"Really?"

As if remembering something, Misaki goes to in front of Ritsu. "Your body is healing properly?!"

"Y-yes," Ritsu stutters out a bit, startled by Misaki's abruptness.

"I'll help you! Training should get you ready in about two months if we get into a good pace! You'll be walking in no time!"

"E-e-excuse me?"

"I remember reading something about that!" Kazuto pitches in. "I'm guessing you worked at the village clinic?"

Misaki pushes some of his sleeve back on one arm, happy to explain. "I also worked as a mentor for a while too! Patrol on weekends, cooking class instructor, getting water, nurse, mail carrier, hiking, running-"

"I think he gets it, Misaki," Takafumi interjects, patting him on the head giving Masamune a worried look, and Masamune wondered what was with him.

"Do you really think Rittie can walk in two months?" An asks, a little skeptical.

Misaki nods. "Not just that. Mr. Takafumi told me most of Mr. Ritsu's injuries healed a while back so it's just that his muscles aren't properly being exercised. Well," he hesitates a bit, "Maybe three months, depending."

"I don't know..." Ritsu says. He really did want to get his strength back. What about here though? With Eru, she let him take breaks when he wanted and when he didn't even break a sweat yet. _'Geez...'_ Ritsu thought for a bit, _'Like that, I'm almost spoiled, aren't I? And a little too weak.'_

Ritsu looks at him with a smile. "You won't go easy on me?"

Misaki seemed confused for a moment, wondering why he was smiling before he smiled himself. "Nope!"

"Okay then! Thank you for taking me in."

"Oy," Takafumi looks between them. "Think about this, you two." He goes unheard so he looks at Masamune. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Masamune simply watched on as the two energetically talked with An, Henmi, and Kazuto. "It's been long while since I've seen him so determined for something. He made a new friend too." He smiles. "Seeing him lively like this makes me happy." He watches Takafumi butts into their conversation to give his concerns, watching as everybody else tries to make good points in why they should go ahead with their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Original Note 2014-)There it is! The 'end' of Case 1 in the timeline for Takafumi's story and Misaki and Ritsu meeting! By the way, it's August-September in here, where in the original Ritsu and Masamune meet around this time again after 10 years, I think. And Misaki is 19.
> 
> Next chapter begins in technically Case 2, months later. Ritsu goes home and more! This isn't ending anytime soon!
> 
> Oh, and plus, Shin and Eru will be reappearing. Takafumi's such a worrywart in here XD


	10. Chapter 10

_'The leaves are changing colors,'_ Ritsu thought, looking outside the window. _'It's cold out there..._ '

"Ritsu." He glances back to the figure on the bed that everybody called his own for 3 years.

"I'm over here," he replies, faintly blushing as he met eyes with a waking Masamune. He could never get quite used to having eye contact with him without having his heart beat fast.

As soon as he went back to looking out the window he felt arms around him. "Ready to go?"

Ritsu nods, gasping in surprise when he felt lips brushing against his ear. "Masamune!"

"What?" Masamune whispers, feigning ignorance. He softly gave a peck to that ear before nuzzling from the side of Ritsu's neck up to the back of his head, then giving a kiss there. "Let's get you changed." Some weeks back while Ritsu was busy with Misaki, Masamune had taken the opportunity with Takafumi to go buy Ritsu and him new warmer clothes to add to their closet.

"Isn't this a little too much?" Ritsu asked after he managed to add on the dark brown coat to his thick white sweater. "It can't be that cold outside."

"Can't be too sure," his lover replied, now wrapping a lovely knitted green scarf around his neck up to his mouth. "I don't want you to get sick."

"I don't want to get sick either, but this..." he looks at what Masamune is wearing. "What about you?"

"This?" He referred to his thin black coat over a gray V-neck sweater. "I'm warm enough."

Masamune had already handled everything the night before so here they were, up dressed and ready to leave.

"It's kind of strange," Ritsu says as they near the door. "Like I'm leaving my room for my room."

"A room you hopefully won't come back to," Masamune says, tugging Ritsu's scarf lightly. "Never again."

"Hmm..." Ritsu looks around the room one last time, a little sad at the thought; he agreed with Masamune though. "Never again," he repeats.

* * *

"Wow! They changed the screens! And over there! They added more shelves!" Ritsu says, barely trying to contain his excitement for the new additions and updates. He wanted to get closer, but hand pulled him back. Pouting, he turned to Masamune. "Can't I just get a closer look?"

Masamune held on securely to his hand. "I lost you immediately after we left the hospital for six minutes and almost had a heart attack. Let's go home."

"But-"

" _Home._ " Sighing, Ritsu nods, letting himself being lead home. After minutes of silence, he looked up upon hearing Masamune sigh. "We'll look around tomorrow all you want okay? After we get situated."

"Okay."

Another round of silence. "Are you mad at me?"

Ritsu looked back at him in confusion. "No, I'm not. Why?"

"You're quiet."

He blinks. "I have nothing to say." He really didn't. On the other hand though, Ritsu gathered some other thoughts. "Wasn't it always like this?" From what he remembered, they didn't really talk when they walked home together. Quiet was nice, he had supposed, from Masamune's not wanting to converse.

Masamune didn't answer him, so Ritsu left it at that, becoming still when he realized where they were walking across the crosswalk to. Both of them did not notice their now unlinked hands.

_The ring._

His ring.

 _'The ring,'_ Ritsu began glancing everywhere on the ground. _'Where is it?'_ He didn't realize most of everyone was on the other side already. On his knees now, he began looking, focused on the ground more than anything else.

* * *

_"Wasn't it always like this?"_

_'Was it?'_ Masamune thought continuously. He felt his hands gripping in and out. _'Was it?'_

Admittedly, he didn't really remember much of back then; he preferred to forget it all after that bout with his parents and all that crap. And no matter how many times he tried to remember moments with Ritsu, he couldn't really remember that much.

The fact that that memory with his parents was so horrible enough for him to let go of everything else that mattered...

It made him sick.

Also, Ritsu was seemingly so used to his other self, the other self that changed for the best. It wasn't like Ritsu was trying to hide it, but Masamune could see that whenever he became affectionate that Ritsu wasn't really used to it yet. Even now as Masamune linked their hands Ritsu wasn't used to it; the male obviously wanted to wander around without a care.

With this tight leash on Ritsu he maintained, he wanted to hold on to it forever, reasoning to himself that everything will be safer for Ritsu that way.

That's not it though- well, at least most of it is not. Obviously he wanted Ritsu all to himself. No family, no friends, no anyone. Just them in their own little world.

It's not possible though. For a little while maybe, but not all the time.

Masamune began to sulk. _'How can I get more closer to him? How can I let him know that I really love him?'_

His thoughts paused as someone bumped next to him, and he glanced to see more people walking past him.

"Ritsu," Masamune began, realizing they weren't holding hands and turning, "Let's-"

No Ritsu.

Immediately he became alarmed, looking around everywhere but finding no sign of his brunet. So much for that tight leash. "Ritsu?!" He calls out again. "Ritsu?!"

Looking behind him back to that street, he widens his eyes as it rested on Ritsu in the middle of it, on all fours as he looked around furiously. "Ritsu?!" Cursing as the male didn't hear him, Masamune tried getting out there, pushing past the other bystanders.

Once he reached the curb he rushed forward, pulling up the male and back. Holding on securely, Masamune muttered out apologies to everyone he passed by with Ritsu, who still seemed to be in a daze. Reaching a bench, he sat Ritsu and him down, holding the man's face with his hands. "Ritsu?" He ignored the passing onlookers as he examined Ritsu's face for any kind of injury.

Ritsu blinks for moment in confusion before his facial expression became saddened. "I couldn't find it..."

He didn't realize the ring thing bothered Ritsu more than he thought. "Ritsu..."

His love's attention was downcast, focusing on something; Masamune looked to see that it was his ring still on Ritsu's thumb.

"It's not the same," Ritsu whispered. "It's not mine."

"I'll get you a new one," he found himself whispering back, one of his thumbs caressing Ritsu's cheek.

"It's not the same. It won't go with yours."

Masamune didn't know what to say to that. He lifted a hand to brush away part of Ritsu's bangs as he tried to think of a solution to this.

"I... I'll get a new ring, with yours. How about that?" he asked, hoping it would please him.

"But," Ritsu finally looks up at him. "It's not... I won't be-"

"The same. I know." Taking his hands off Ritsu's face he took his ring of Ritsu.

His ring.

He held it, flexing his hand to re-feel that silver, warm from Ritsu's hand.

Without its match, it must feel as lonely as he was at that time when he couldn't see Ritsu for a week. For years though, unlike him, it continued alone... suffering. He breathed in and out, decided on his next course of action.

With a quick reflex, he threw the ring towards the crosswalk.

"! Masamune?!" Ritsu exclaims in shock, looking in the direction to the crosswalk.

"They'll find each other again," he says simply, bringing them up so they can walk home. He takes a deep breath and lets it out, a little bothered about losing one of the things that symbolized their bond. Yet, it brought some calm to him, feeling like he had released a weight he didn't know he was holding.

"Masamune..." he looked down at his Ritsu, who still was saddened, but for a different reason though. "You... you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." He brought together their ring-less hands and smiled softly. "You don't have to worry about them anymore. What is it that they say? Out with the old and in with the new."

Ritsu paused in thought at that, and reluctantly he nodded, himself giving a small smile as Masamune gave his hands a small kiss.

"Maybe we can go with gold this time, and I'll add even more on the inside. Or do you want the same thing?" Masamune wondered aloud, his mind churning with ideas.

"U-um..." Ritsu bit on his lip gently in thought. "I don't know..."

"We'll go look tomorrow again when we look around then," Masamune says, editing tomorrow's plans as he went. Tugging gently at first, he grasps one of Ritsu's hands and pulls along. "Let's go home."

Smiling, Ritsu walked up along to be beside him instead of the former and began to match his pace, their hands gently swinging to and fro. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Happy April Fools! I said he'll go home this chapter but they didn't even make it home yet! How about that for a April Fools?! XD  
> THIS COUNTS AS AN ACTUAL CHAPTER. It is not an April Fools chapter in a literal sense. I was going to type more for this but I had to go to sleep, hence the lame April Fools attempt.


	11. Chapter 11

Ritsu ran his hands over the numbers outside their apartment. _'Home...'_

"Will you do the honors?" He turned back to Masamune, who handed the keys to him.

"O-okay," he stutters slightly, excited. His fingers shook, the keys jingling as it struggled to go into the key hole. Chuckling, Masamune used a hand to calm Ritsu's hand; together they opened the door.

Giving a quick gasp as he took his first steps in, Ritsu headed in straight-on, forgetting to take off his shoes-

And forgetting that they were still in the genkan. With a thud and a yelp he fell, and Masamune rushed forward to help him up. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah..." Ritsu groans a little, trying to ease his slight pain as he sits up. "I forgot there was a..." He sighs. Hearing a laugh he curiously looked to Masamune, taking in the laughter and finding it pleasant to hear. However, he huffed a little and blushed, humiliated. "It's not that funny!"

He felt Masamune kiss his head. "Sorry," Masamune says, smiling as he helped him up. After Ritsu manages to take off his shoes he walked carefully, gazing around the living space. "Wow! So Takafumi kept it clean all this time?"

"Yeah. He also..." he trails off, remembering the blood-stained sheets. He glances over at Ritsu, the latter looking through the two bookshelves next to each other.

"He even dusted in between the books," Ritsu says in awe, before he turned to Masamune. "Oh yeah, how's Sorata? I forgot to ask Takafumi."

"Oh, he's good," Masamune says absentmindedly, hoping Ritsu wouldn't go into the bedroom yet. "Spoiled as hell though, from what I heard. Yokozawa's trying to put him on a diet and he's not liking it."

"It's hard to believe he's older now," Ritsu says, saddened for a moment; the black and white cat probably had forgotten him by now. He goes to sit on the couch and bounces a little.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Ritsu asks, glancing about. "Now that I think about in, I've stayed in the hospital more than I lived here. Weird huh?"

Masamune mumbled in agreement, but in his head, he found it unsettling. What if Ritsu ended up not wanting to live with him and go back to his parents? He didn't want to be without Ritsu.

"Masamune..." he jolted out of his thoughts to see Ritsu laying on the couch in thought.

"What is it?"

"I know you said you were going to make dinner, but is there anyway I can help?"

"You don't have to help," he replies, sitting down at the other end of the couch with Ritsu's feet. "Finishing all your food would be nice though."

Ritsu gave a little laugh before quieting down. "I want to help. I don't like feeling useless..."

"You're not."

"..." Ritsu simply said nothing, and Masamune turned away for awhile, sure that the brunet didn't believe that. He went over to kiss his forehead before getting up.

"Just rest here while I start dinner so we can get a head start on getting a good night's sleep."

Hearing a hum in response, he looked to see Ritsu with his eyes closed, trying to nap. Sighing, he reluctantly walked off to the kitchen, re-stocked earlier by Takafumi and Misaki.

* * *

"I'll help." Masamune turned slightly from his dish-washing, worried as he watched Ritsu drying off a plate.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get-"

"I'll be okay, really!" Ritsu stubbornly remained, proudly lifting his hand high to open a cupboard and placing the clean dish inside. "See?"

"You're slightly shaking."

"It's fine!"

Sighing, Masamune didn't argue back, choosing instead to glance over once in a while, smiling affectionately at the determination on his husband's face.

...

Wiping his hands of excess water, Masamune glanced around to see that Ritsu went off somewhere. Quickly he went to their bedroom, pausing when he saw Ritsu staring down at the bed, the blanket having been lifted and to the side to reveal the clean and new bed sheets. "Ritsu..."

"Did... did-"

"We threw them away."

"Why?!" He was surprised at the amount of anguish on his face that was for the sheets. "They were still good!" Lips quivering, Ritsu put the blanket back over and turned away, not wanting to look at it. "I should have looked up who made those sheets..."

"Ritsu, why didn't you tell me that I hurt you?"

"Wha-" Ritsu swallowed, trying to compose himself. "It wasn't your fault! I didn't want to bother you either so I just washed it the best I could. Since it was under the blanket anyway I thought it wouldn't matter. I was really surprised too when I saw it! I guess I was so tired that I didn't feel myself bleeding."

"Ritsu..."

"Really, don't worry about it. I'm okay." Ritsu tried to assure him. "I'm just upset about the sheets and-" He found himself being hugged tightly.

"Next time, tell me these things, okay?"

"But-" He was squeezed tighter, and he could hear Masamune sigh against his shoulder. "O-okay..." After a while, Masamune didn't budge. "Masamune?" Spacing himself away while holding on to the older male, he found the male dozing off, tired. Carefully, he set him down on the bed, after some struggle, and proceeded to get a towel and head into their room bathroom next to the closet in front of their bed.

He was sure enough that he could take a shower on his own after he reacquainted himself with the bathroom.

* * *

"Mm?" Blinking, Masamune woke up to the sound of water being turned on. _'Ritsu?'_

Still laying in place, he could hear Ritsu walking about, mumbling to himself about something. Sitting up, he can see that Ritsu had let the door open, and steam was slowly floating out gradually.

What got to him however, was the sound of clothes being discarded to the ground. Ranging from light thuds to hearing a zipper being undone on a pair of jeans, Masamune found himself concentrating with his ears.

Every sound brought to him sensations he had been trying to keep away from to stay in control. Upon hearing a small, but lovely gasp, he swallowed, feeling the familiar heat rising up within him. Slowly, he inched towards the other side of the bed to see what was happening.

...

Ritsu gasped as he saw himself in the mirror more closely now that he was alone. He...

He wasn't showing his ribs no longer. It was almost noticeable when he turned but it was still good. He didn't look like skeleton and he could see that he was getting some color back.

Seeing his hair, he touched the ends closest to his ears. _'I should cut this a little...'_

His bangs didn't seem to want to go back to like it was in high school; he liked the change though, it made him look more mature in a way and it shielded him sometimes from particularly bright light.

He should still be gaining some weight though, he found some seconds later. Turning his body, he examined his hips and his upper thighs. Misaki told him earlier when they started the leg exercises that his muscles would ache for a while. Actually, they were still aching, but only a little to where it didn't bother him.

Taking off his underwear, he was surprised at the light, temporary indentions the rim of it made on his skin. It couldn't be that tight on him... He turned around to see on the mirror that the indentions went around to his back above his butt.

Eventually, he shrugs, knowing that it'll disappear later. Deciding that the shower was probably warm enough, and seeing that the hamper was close by, he bent down to pick up the rest of his clothes and put them in. Feeling a cold breeze he remembered that he left the door open and decided to go close it.

As he did so, however, he was startled to see Masamune sitting up on the bed, staring at him openly and gaping slightly. "..."

Ritsu didn't miss the hand that was in his pants.

"...u-uh," Flushing his way to red upon realizing what was happening, Ritsu shut his eyes while he closed the door hard. Embarrassed, he retreated to the shower.

* * *

A hesitant Ritsu peeked out the door, glancing left to right before walking out and to the closet. A towel around his waist, he grabbed his underwear and swiftly put it on before putting on his pajamas. Successful at his endeavor, he jumped onto the bed with towel in hand. Sitting up, he began drying his hair.

"You done?" He hears Masamune ask him from outside the room. It didn't take long for Ritsu to blush.

"Y-yes..."

While he looked at Masamune, the other didn't look back at him, heading to the closet to get ready for a shower. As such, Ritsu tried to not seem bothered as well, going back to drying his hair. However, after glancing a couple of times, Ritsu paused to notice a faint pink color on Masamune's cheeks before he went into the bathroom. "..." _'He's...'_

_'He's blushing...'_

...

It was about six minutes long that Masamune took his shower; seeing him walk out fully clothed with a towel on his head. "I-I'll dry it," Ritsu says, wanting to, heart thudding as Masamune climbed onto the bed to get to his lap. Ritsu was already situated, sitting up with the blanket over his waist.

When dry enough, he ran his hands through the dark locks. _'It's soft...'_

"Don't stop," Masamune murmurs repeatedly every time Ritsu paused in movement. Minutes later he joined Ritsu under the covers after he turned off the light.

"Excited for tomorrow?" he asks Ritsu, hugging the male close to him.

"Yeah..." Ritsu answers quietly. He yawns, prompting a light chuckle from his love.

"Good night."

"Good night," Ritsu whispers, faintly feeling a feathery touch to his cheek before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Imagine, having such soft sheets that make you melt in bed... and then someone throws them away... *shakes head* Some things are just unforgettable.  
> Oh, and I was never in that type of situation with bed sheets. Imagine though, very soft sheets that make you melt in bed and sleep soundly. You just couldn't let go of such sheets, especially if you won them at a store and didn't pay an expensive price for them.  
> To tarepandabear:  
> You'll see more of that with the mother soon.  
> I also believe that there could be too much angst. I also believe that I don't know what the heck I'm saying because I can't really tell how much angst I put into the story. I just want happy times to happen and I haven't really seen 'happy fics' lately... or fics in the sense of romantic comedy.  
> Also guys, keep in mind it's around towards the end of November in here. From August-September Ritsu has been working hard with Misaki and he can walk and jog. He can't really run that much yet let alone jog for a whole mile. He's almost there though!  
> He can eat soups now like rice porridge and other soft things. For his strength I'd gather that maybe he can't carry mid-heavy pots and pans with a single hand but with both his hands it's alright. He basically can't lift anything past about 17 pounds. He really is almost there. Maybe.


	12. Chapter 12

_'Impressive...'_ Masamune couldn't help but think as Ritsu and him headed to the jewelry store, looking around along the way.

"Oh yeah," he starts, and Ritsu looks to him, "They finished that park some buildings away. I thought that once you can really move your legs you can finally learn how to ride a bike."

"Ride a bike?!" Ritsu repeats, a little ruffled and flushed, "W-why would I have to learn how to ride a bike?!"

They stopped their walking. "You..." Masamune regards him with concern. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Ritsu asks, wondering what Masamune was referring to.

"It was a little before my graduation, when Yokozawa and his parents let me stay with them so I didn't have to move with my mother?" Ritsu listens thoughtfully, trying to remember. "And Yokozawa was talking about using a bike more than a car and you said you didn't know how and...?"

"Oh..." Ritsu puts his hand to his chin, remembering before he looked up at Masamune in disbelief. "You were serious?! I thought you were joking!"

"Why would I..." he trails off, troubled. "What other times did you think I was joking?"

"...?" Ritsu began thinking for a long moment. "Hmm..." Slowly, a dawning expression filled his face before a baffled one took over. "..."

"What?" Masamune asks, even more troubled now seeing the look on Ritsu's face.

"W-would you say- um, that there could be times that you were actually joking with me, and you weren't serious but I took it seriously?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"A-ah..." Ritsu nervously laughs, "So..." he coughs and tries to walk off fast. "We should also go to the jewelry store before it closes, huh?"

Masamune tightens the grip on his hand and pulls him back. "We have time."

"I-I-I-it's nothing, really, aha," he tries to pull Masamune along. "Let's just go!" Instead, he is pulled the opposite direction, back to where they had walked from.

"I think I remembered a bench back there. You shouldn't be standing for so long."

Sighing in defeat, Ritsu followed along.

* * *

"You didn't really like the thought of marriage," Ritsu begins, "You sort of laughed at me when I asked you." Before Masamune could say anything he continues, "So just in case, Takafumi helped me prepare for anything that could happen, like making sure our legal stuff don't get mixed up, our divorce papers ready and si-"

" _Divorce papers?_ " Masamune interrupted in disbelief, feeling like he had been stung. "You have divorce papers ready?"

Ritsu nods, strangely feeling proud for the fact that he was prepared and mistaking Masamune's disbelief for being impressed, "Signed and everything. I also-" He remembers suddenly, "Most of all my stuff is at my family's house. That's why it seems like I don't have much clothes or anything," he pauses, "I wonder if I still fit my clothes at home..."

"Wait, you mean signed and everything meaning as in my signature too?"

"Yeah." Ritsu nods again in affirmation. "You were busy when I brought it to you so I left it on your desk in your office room. You signed it the next night and I put it up in a safe place."

The dark-haired husband frowned, not believing that he was sound of mind when he signed it, but continued with the last words he heard. "A safe place?"

"Yes, although, I sort of forgot where... Oh," Ritsu looks at him in question. "When did we get married? I can't remember the date, do you?"

Masamune was going to answer him before he realized too that he couldn't remember. "No, no I don't. Where is the document for that?"

"I... don't know. I think it's in the safe place I put the divorce papers in."

He chuckles dryly. "Safe place, huh?"

"And the joking thing," Ritsu explains, "Whenever we talk and it seems serious, and then you laugh, I think you're joking. But you weren't half the time, right?"

"Probably," Masamune answers, before going back to the topic of the divorce papers. "So you don't really remember where the divorce papers are?"

"I really don't. Why?"

"Don't you want to find them and throw them away?"

Ritsu blinks at the notion. "Why would you want to throw them away?"

"Because we aren't going to get a divorce," Masamune answers obviously, "Why would you want to keep them?"

"I don't know. Just in case maybe."

"Just in case what?"

"I don't really know what... A-Also, Takafumi might have gotten me the papers, but for me it took two days to fill it out and I don't want to throw away good effort."

"Then when we find it you can just write the info on a note pad and we can rid of the papers. Really," Masamune sighs, feeling tired and irritated at the topic. He would never want Ritsu to leave him. Never...

...

 _'I annoyed him, didn't I?'_ Ritsu thought, seeing Masamune in silent thought with a face that didn't seem pleased at all. Shivering slightly of a passing chill, Ritsu got off the bench and paced a little; seeing that Masamune was still in his own world, Ritsu decides to look around.

 _'I should go find a job, but where?'_ Ritsu wonders as he glances to each store within some feet, walking further away from the bench, _'The last job I had, I wonder how they're doing-'_ He accidently bumps until someone, a man a little taller than him and in a suit. "Oh, sorr-"

"Ah, perfect timing!"

"Huh-" he found himself next to a man about his height, a darker shade of brunet and with blue eyes. Compared to the suited man, he was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt hoodie.

"Watch him for me, I'll be right back!" Hearing a car door slam, he looks to see a dark car drive off in a hurry.

"H-huh?"

"Sorry about that..." the mystery person says, looking uncomfortable as he glanced around at the passing people. "There's someone important they need to pick up that I need to meet but I don't really feel well today and I almost threw up so here I am..."

"O-oh..." Ritsu glances back to see Masamune still out of it, and focuses back to the man. "What's your name?"

"Yoshino Chiaki," he replies, smiling a little. "Yours?"

"Onodera Ritsu. A-actually, my husband and I were supposed to get new rings in a few minutes..."

"H-husband?!" Chiaki looks very surprised. "You're married?!"

"...? Yeah. Why?" Ritsu asks hesitantly. Did he and Masamune not look right together?

"Well, you look younger than me, so I'm very surprised. I'm about 29."

Ritsu widens his eyes; this man seemed about his age- like a slightly older Misaki with different bangs. "Really?"

Chiaki couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the disbelief. "Yeah... Oh, you know," he begins, looking Ritsu up and down, "I think you could be a model if you wanted to."

"W-what?" Ritsu flushes slightly. "No way!"

"No, really!" Chiaki says, one of his hands up to touch one of Ritsu's cheeks. "You have a nice cheeks; can I draw you later?"

"F-for what?"

"I'm a mangaka actually," he says, smiling.

"Oh?" Ritsu remembers a title of one Misaki told him. "Like, 'The Kan'?"

He didn't expect Chiaki grabbing his hands excitedly. "You know about 'The Kan'?! Are you a fan too?!"

"I-I haven't really had a chance to read it actually, but my friend, he loves it a lot. He told me something about getting all 45 stamps and-"

"He was the grand prize winner for the deluxe figurine set?!"

"Y-yes..?"

"Wow," Chiaki beams, "I have to meet him. We can do exchanges! Does he have a phone number? What's his name?!"

"M-Misaki..." _'They could be brothers...'_ Ritsu thought, startled by the enthusiasm for the manga.

"Who are you?" He turns to see Masamune at his side, frowning at Chiaki. A little afraid and shy, Chiaki let go of Ritsu's hands.

"Y-yoshino Chiaki..." he answers, begging Ritsu with his eyes to continue for him.

"His boss left him here to pick up someone from the airport. H-he can come with us for a while, can he?" he asks Masamune, faltering under the look he was given that read, 'What about our alone time?'

"Yes, he can," Masamune reluctantly says, grabbing one of Ritsu's hands to pull him close. With that, they resume their trip to the jewelry store.

...

"Do you want it engraved now? It takes about two days." Ritsu glances from the jeweler to his hand, feeling the silver around his finger. He looks to Masamune, who nods, and reluctantly, he handed back the ring.

"What do you want to put on it, sir?"

Masamune was going to answer but instead grabbed one of the cards on the display table and wrote on it before handing it to the man. "Two days, right?"

"Yes sir..." The man trails off, reading what was written. With a poorly concealed grin he went off to put in the order.

Scoffing, Masamune glared a little; he was pretty sure that this was the guy from last time, just promoted. When he looked down at Ritsu his gaze softened, seeing that Ritsu was glaring off at the man too.

"What did you guys write?" asks Chiaki, holding a sketchbook with one hand and sketching hands and rings with the other. "Your initials or...?"

Not quite answering him with the actual quote, Masamune simply answers with, "We're each other's first love."

"Eeh, that's so cute!" Chiaki says, smiling. He made a note of it before saying. "My boss and his secretary are like that too!"

Hearing a knock on the window they look to see said boss gesturing him to hurry into the car, and Chiaki nods. With a wave to Ritsu he hurried out. "I hope we meet again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)This was the morning to afternoon! I'll finish evening and night later! Sorry for the lack of updates!  
> I have a speech to finish and a rogerian essay to type -_-  
> QUESTION: What month and day should their wedding be in? I haven't quite decided yet...  
> Chiaki might just be an important witness for this case, though, you wouldn't really see that in here because Ritsu and Masamune aren't completely involved with Takafumi's profession. Yet. Maybe.


	13. Chapter 13

"Everyone's busy huh?" Ritsu asks, looking up at the darkening sky. He wanted to see everyone again, for at least a little bit, seeing that he had just recently come out from the hospital. Of course he's glad to be out with Masamune, but he knew that they both missed out on a lot of things with their friends and family.

"Yeah, but," Masamune pauses to see the stores in sight, "Let's just focus on us. What are you feeling for dinner?"

"Oh um," Ritsu wracked his brain trying to remember the restaurants in the area. He didn't feel for anything in particular, he just wanted to eat... "What are you feeling like eating?"

"Me?" Masamune thought for a moment before pulling him along. "Italian sounds nice."

...

"Isn't this a little too private?" I ask Masamune. There was barely anyone back here in the booths, and this felt very much like a date- n-not like there was anything wrong with that! I mean, whenever we're alone is sort of a date that stretches longer and longer right?

"Nope." Once the waitress sets the bread down and leaves while we look at our menu, I take a breadstick to munch on.

"Is it good?" Masamune asks me, and I nod, holding the menu to look at it with my other hand. All of it sounds good, and the pictures are just as good in making me undecided about choosing something.

The ravioli looked nice, and had less than what the other dishes had from the pictures. I can't really eat a lot yet, so I guess I'll go with this one... I look up at Masamune, who was looking at his own menu. "What are you getting?"

"This three meat lasagna."

"Oh, okay."

"What do you want?"

"The ravioli from the second page."

"Alright."

As I look back to my menu, I couldn't help but feel strange; this silence felt so awkward... Should we be talking more? But I don't know what to talk about...

"You know," I stiffen a bit before looking up at him as he spoke to me. "You can tell me anything, ask me anything- just anything really."

Anything? But, I don't want to ask anything that might upset him. I have a lot of unanswered questions that I'm sure Takafumi can answer, so I can wait to ask him.

"Okay," I answer him, before distracting myself with another breadstick. It was like this at home wasn't it? Silence, and then I say something but he doesn't really answer me and the day just goes on. So I know it's better to just keep to myself. Wait, wait... but that was back then and it's different now. But... it sort of wears me out now, talking for too long.

Now that I think about it, I've never really talked to him about my father, and about when I was younger. I mean, he told me about his childhood, but my childhood... Maybe it was okay this way; he doesn't need to know. And I can always talk to An or Mom, so this... I don't need to bother him with this.

Maybe I can ask him one thing. Maybe two. They have been weighing in the corner of my mind.

"Back then, when I got hit, who was in the car? Are they okay?"

* * *

Of all the things he could ask him... Masamune stared back at the worried face of his husband, his husband who was wondering about the person who hit him.

Masamune almost felt sure that he wanted to talk about something else to him, but had he changed his mind? He really couldn't read him like he used to.

He had realized for a long while now that he didn't know Ritsu well enough. Was it because he didn't ask? He had told Ritsu mostly everything about him, but yet... it never, it never felt needed for him to know about Ritsu's childhood or anything. Did Ritsu feel the same way, so that's why it was never brought up?

The difference now was that he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything.

"Masamune?"

"Sorry," Masamune says, shaking out his thoughts. "The one who hit you?"

Ritsu nods, biting on his breadstick. Masamune held back the urge to take it from him, as he can see that the latter was using it to distract himself from talking, and it turn it was also distracting him with the way Ritsu was putting his lips on it and nibbling.

"I never got to see him. Yokozawa didn't either; we do know that it wasn't your fault though. The man was going so fast he went too far past the crosswalk where you were at to stop at the light. Yokozawa said it was one of those imported red sports cars.

"Really? So is he okay?"

"Of course. It was only you that was hurt. Actually, it was sort of lucky for you that he hit you."

Ritsu didn't hide his surprise. "What?! How?"

"He paid your whole hospital bill in advance; the only note I received from him that the hospital gave me that said to just save our money. We never got his name though."

"But, I got into a coma," Ritsu frowns, "So how...?"

"That's what I meant by your whole hospital bill; he put in a lot in advance. I think what was left over went back to him."

"That... that's very generous of him, whoever he is." Ritsu says, touched.

...

Masamune couldn't help a smile as he watched Ritsu eat his food. "Is it good?" Obviously delicious, Ritsu nods a little too enthusiastically, pausing to take a breath when his chest began to constrict at the sudden intake of food. Masamune went forward slightly, worried. "Take it easy, don't rush."

"Sorry," Ritsu coughs a little, eventually giving out a nervous laugh. "I didn't expect it to be so good."

"Well, it is different from hospital food and dinner at home." He offers Ritsu a piece of his lasagna. "Here, try mine." Curious, Ritsu accepted the piece, smiling at the taste of meatiness and the spices. "Good?" he nods.

In return Ritsu offers some ravioli, and Masamune nods at the taste. "That's good," and seeing the portions on Ritsu's plate he adds, "If you want more, say so, cause that doesn't look like enough."

"I can't really eat that much, so I thought this might be enough..."

"If it isn't, feel free to ask for more."

"Okay," Ritsu smiles again, taking another one into his mouth. Slyly, Masamune takes the opportunity to take out his cell phone to take pictures. The sight of Ritsu enjoying good restaurant food for a long time in awhile is something that must be recorded in some way. He wondered if Ritsu knew that he his cheeks were flushed lightly, happy with the food.

Putting up his cell phone he went back to eating his food, but stopped hearing a shutter click. He turned his head to see the waitress hastily putting up her cell phone, embarrassed at being caught.

"Delete it," Masamune ordered quietly, knowing she can hear him. Ritsu looks between them in question, not seeing that she was taking pictures and wondering what was wrong.

"B-but, you two are so cute! And him," she looks at Ritsu shyly, "You have nice cheekbones."

"T-thank you?" Ritsu replies, remembering what Chiaki had said to him. Were his cheekbones really that nice?

"Delete it," Masamune repeats, glaring.

She sighs in defeat. "Okay... Sorry."

* * *

"Home," Ritsu sighs, laying on the couch feeling sleepy.

After putting up the take-out in the refrigerator, Masamune bent slightly over the couch to ruffle Ritsu's head, chuckling. "Go take a shower before you knock out."

"Okay," getting up, Ritsu walked off to their room.

Once Masamune heard the bathroom door closing, he made his way to the room that doubled as a study/office. He was sure that the 'safe place' was this room. They had their documents in here along with his medical books. It was also one of the two rooms in their apartment that had a lock. The other one was their bedroom.

While his first two drawers in his desk held office supplies, the third one held the documents.

He needed to get rid of those divorce papers. While Ritsu didn't seem all that concerned, he was. It was so easy, so easy for Ritsu to leave him, especially when most of his belongings weren't even here. He knows Ritsu wouldn't leave him, but he couldn't help it.

He was scared. He had to get rid of them.

Not finding the papers with the rest of the documents, he roamed his eyes around the room. Finally, he caught a piece of paper sticking out from a folder sandwiched tight between two of his medical books.

Taking the folders he went back to his desk, plugging in his paper shredder ready to shred. But not before hastily taking out a memo pad and pen to record what Ritsu got down on the papers for him. And then, adding a touch of thoroughly slash of thick black marker over the papers, he put them in, watching in satisfaction and relief as they shredded with vigor.

* * *

"Masamune, look!" Ritsu calls out to him as the latter walks out of the bathroom, dressed and hair wet. He was presented with a clean, half-filled closet, and a suitcase packed and ready to go. "All of my stuff fits! I can take this all to laundry or switch them with the ones in my other closet."

"Oh, that's..." Masamune just couldn't smile, instead moving forward to take everything out. "Let's put everything back."

"I can do it myself," Ritsu says, pushing him to the bed so he can do it himself. "It's good exercise when I have to lift my arms high to hang the clothes."

Settled in bed, Masamune simply watched as Ritsu put it all back up, hoping that he wouldn't find it half-empty like that ever again. "Later, let's get all your stuff here."

"Are you sure?" Ritsu asks, uncertain. "I have just as much of books and it might get messy..."

"It's fine. It's good exercise in cleaning, wouldn't you say?"

He pats right beside him when Ritsu was done putting the clothes up, his hair dry and towel put up.

After turning off the lights and moving to the bed, Ritsu relaxes once he got under the covers, his body catching up in tiredness and ready to rest. His eyes drowsily began closing as he was pulled closer to his husband, who nestled comfortably against him. "Good night."

"Mm-hm," Ritsu hummed in response, faintly wondering what was going to happen tomorrow on Sunday before he fell into a peaceful slumber.


	14. Chapter 14

Masamune felt refreshed when he woke. The sun was seeping through the window and he turned, chuckling as he watched Ritsu turn in his sleep to avoid the light.

Then it dawned on him.

Today was Sunday- that meant tomorrow was...

His eyes widened in horror: _MONDAY._

He had to go to work, and for more than 4 hours he couldn't see Ritsu. Normally back then, he would go visit Ritsu when he was in a coma at every opportunity.

Quickly he turned to hug Ritsu to himself, the latter mumbling in sleepy protest before comfortably settling within his embrace. Maybe he could keep Ritsu in his office, preferably sitting on his lap or desk. No, he couldn't do that. He sighs, running a hand through Ritsu's hair and appreciating those soft locks. He was so soft, and so warm.

Trying to think about something else to take away work from his head, Masamune gazed around his room while still hugging Ritsu. His room that he shared with Ritsu. Ritsu who had only some of his stuff here. Technically speaking, Ritsu hasn't completely moved in. Masamune wanted all of this things here, even if he had to move them to a bigger apartment.

The gears began turning in his mind- if they did move to a bigger place...

It would be like starting turning a new leaf. He can imagine himself and Ritsu playfully fighting over where to put things, sorting their clothing together, figure out how to sort their huge loads of books, buying new furniture...

"Mm..?" Ritsu stirs in his arms, blinking awake. "Good morning." He arches his back slightly to stretch before moving away from Masamune and relaxing on the now cool side of the bed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Ritsu sighs, closing his eyes, "Everything feels nice."

"Hey," Masamune began, shuffling closer to him, "Do you want to visit An and them? We can also get all your stuff."

"We... we don't have to get _all_ of my stuff. Maybe just some clothes, some books... but not all of it." Ritsu paused for a moment before giving his husband a small smile. "I think it keeps my mother at ease."

The look he was given got him backtracking. "No, not as if I'm giving her hope that we're going to divorce- not that- just..." he sighs. "It sort of helps her, I think, I mean... the only things Mom kept from my father when he died was his journals and the jewelry he gave her. When she would get worried she would bring them out and look through them, and sometimes clean the jewelry... it eased her stressed and helped her think."

He continues, "An's father, my other father, he has An's mother's stuff too, though most of them belong to An now." His breath hitches, and he sighs again, facing up at the ceiling in contemplation.

"What is it?" Masamune asks, pressing against him as close as possible. He grabs the hand closest to him, holding a grip on it. "Tell me what you're thinking about."

After a while, Ritsu responds to him. "I think Mom might like you guys a little."

"...Huh?" Now he was lost.

Ritsu nods. "It's just that... I mean, with An, her father likes you and Kazuto both. But Mom..." He turns to face him. "I think she feels that, if she accepts you guys openly, acknowledges you two, it means letting us go and she's not ready for that yet."

Masamune was quiet at this, and after a few seconds, Ritsu had the urge to backpedal. Maybe he said too much. He didn't mean to talk so much, maybe he should-

"Would your father accept me?"

"W-what?" He wasn't expecting this question. "My Dad..?"

"Would he ignore me? I mean, you are their only son..."

"You are an only son too!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Masamune replies, glancing at him, "My mother probably has a new family now, and my stepfather probably. Maybe my real father too."

And that's when Masamune caught it, that look Ritsu had the other night before asking about the driver who hit him. "Were you wondering about that?" Of course Ritsu would wonder that, Masamune thought, seeing that the time before Ritsu got into the accident was when he had those problems.

"I-If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

"No, I'll tell you. Answer my question first."

"Oh, um-" Ritsu pursed his lips in thought. "I don't think he'd ignore you; he was a fairly open person, and he would want me to be happy."

"I see." Masamune pauses, gathering his own thoughts. "I still don't know who my father is; my mother refused to tell me. I do know though it was a small affair, and they immediately dropped all contact with each other. It was a little before she married my stepfather, so of course he thought I was his son. Only for a little bit though."

"A little bit?"

"I think he caught on as I was growing up that I didn't have any of his physical features. For me though, I thought I looked like my grandfather or something at least since I didn't look like him. He was more mad at my mother than me though," he scoffs, "At least I think so anyway; I've never seen him since the divorce."

"What? So your stepfather wasn't really part of what happened?"

"It was mostly my mother. I was happy that I got to stay with Yokozawa and his family, but my mother wanted me to go back and stay with her when it happened. I brought up that I would rather stay with my 'Dad' and then she blew up on me. My stepfather would never accept my calls or anything, and it just got more frustrating. I never talked with her after that."

"Oh," Ritsu says quietly, "So that's what happened?"

"Yes..." Masamune sighs, his thumb rubbing circles absentmindedly on the hand he held of Ritsu's. They were both staring up at the ceiling. "And I'm sorry that I hurt you because of it. Even around when we started talking to each other in high school, I've always turned my frustrations on you."

"N-no, it's okay."

"No, it's not. I hurt you, and I never want to do that again."

Ritsu didn't know how to answer that. How was he supposed to? "I-"

"I love you." He stares over at Masamune in surprise, and the latter was still staring up at the ceiling, smiling. "I love you," he repeats again in a whisper-like voice, happy.

"A-are you okay?" Ritsu asks hesitantly, blushing. He wasn't used to this yet. "It's kind of weird..."

"Weird?" Masamune chuckles, looking over at Ritsu now and smiling softly.

"Wh... what is it?" His husband continued to merely smile at him. Ritsu found himself getting up and off the bed, flustered. However, the hand he was holding stopped him, and he looked back to see Masamune outstretching his other hand towards him.

"Come here, Ritsu."

Wavering, he went closer, yelping in surprise as his lover yanked him into his embrace. He shivered involuntarily when he felt his forehead being kissed.

"Why don't we just stay home the rest of the day. Let's just stay here."

"What? No!" Ritsu tried getting up. "Let's go visit everyone, and oh, buy..." He remembers the day back when they came home the first day from the hospital. "Buy um... lubrication. It's also called lube right?" He didn't expect to be responded with such a dumbstruck expression. "What's wrong?"

"You... You still want me?"

"H-huh?" Ritsu was confused. "I don't-" He was hugged tightly, no escape from the bed. "Masamune?!"

"...You make me so happy." Then came a soft sigh.

 _'What did I do?'_ wondered Ritsu, before Masamune got them both up and out of the bed to get washed up for the morning.

* * *

"That man was nice, wasn't he?" Ritsu comments as they walk out from the shop. "Everything in there is so strange though," he shudders remembering that 'thing' shaped like a cactus. How anyone can put that up them, he doesn't know and he never wants to know.

"Yeah..." For Masamune though, his experience left him to turn next time to purchasing on the internet. That man was too nice to Ritsu for his liking. And too close with his hands...

"Ah!" He looks to Ritsu, who faces him eagerly. "I'll go pick up the rings tomorrow! The afternoon right? Should I bring you lunch too?" He pauses, wondering aloud, "Can I do that?"

Lunch...

Lunch! The realization made the older man dread less about tomorrow.

"I should go find a job too," Ritsu says, glancing around. "Maybe I'll go to my old job and ask around."

"You don't have to work," Masamune says, grabbing his hands while the other held the lube they bought at the shop. "Just take it easy from now on."

"I can't do that. Also, I want to see how they're doing."

Masamune thought for a moment. "What _was_ your old job?" He doesn't remember Ritsu telling him about it.

"Oh, I never told you huh? I," he begins, "I helped at a bath house. I was still working there when I got into the accident, so I wonder if Takafumi told them what happened to me."

"So Yokozawa knew about your job?"

"He helped me get it so yeah, of course he knew." He remembers something. "Do I still have a cell phone?"

"I don't think so," Masamune says, now pulling him around to find a cell phone store. "We should go get you a new one. I think An had it stopped when you went inactive."

"Okay," he says as they walk. "Can I just get one like my old one though? Like yours? You haven't changed yours, right?"

"You have a point. I guess I'll upgrade and you and I can get iPhones."

"Are you sure?" Considering he didn't use his old cell phone all that much, Ritsu didn't think it was worth getting such an advanced phone compared to a simple flip phone. "I don't think I'm going to use it much."

"Oh, you will. I'm going to call you while I'm at work, and when you go out on your own. You better pick up too or I'll get worried. I think I can track you on GPS too."

"I-Isn't that a little too much?"

"It's never too much when it comes to you. I want to be sure you're safe wherever you go."

...

"Woah, you guys are here too?" At the store, Ritsu turned his head to see Shin. Masamune was talking to a sales associate.

"Hi, Dr. Haitani."

Shin laughs. "Don't sweat the Dr. here, Haitani or Shin's just fine! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine! We're getting new phones."

"Sweet, then you can get my number later. Why don't you come in for a check-up tomorrow? I remember Eru telling me days back that you were worried about if you and Takano were to h-"

"Ah yes! I'll come in tomorrow!" Ritsu interrupts, flushing. "Don't finish it!"

He laughs. "Alright." Another sales associate calls him over, "I guess it's my turn. You can just come in with Takano in the morning and I'll look you over."

"Oh, okay," Ritsu says waving him bye. It was weird seeing Shin in casual clothing.

"Was that Haitani?" He turns to see Masamune beside him.

"Yeah. He's going to give me a check-up so I'll be going with you tomorrow."

"That's good," Masamune says, before ushering Ritsu towards one of the counters. "They're getting them ready and then we can go see Yokozawa. Or do you want to see An and them first?"

"No, I want to go see Takafumi and Misaki. Sorata is there too right?" Ritsu asks as they wait. "I wonder if he still remembers me."

"I think he will. Maybe to him it'll be like we never stopped visiting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Next time is the other side of their Sunday and they visit Takafumi and Misaki, and then An and family. Takafumi's second case hasn't started yet, if any of you were curious :p  
> It'll start either Monday night or Tuesday. And it isn't an OC that's going to be the accused :p
> 
> So, Henmi's first name is Masakazu. XD I didn't find out until now. I can't wait to translate it later!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-) I think... I might... do something close to M... maybe. We'll see. Not this chapter though, or the next...  
> Oh, and FYI, some scenes with Takafumi and Misaki won't appear but will be referenced in Takafumi's story, that primarily will focus a little more on his cases and interactions rather than mostly every step of the day like Ritsu and Masamune's.
> 
> For instance, for Case 2 (which is going to happen soon) in Takafumi's story, it's going to start some moments before or after the crime happens instead of going on for days building up like I'm doing right now with Ritsu and Masamune. Maybe.

"Where are you guys?" Masamune asked, a little annoyed, into his cell phone. Ritsu, meanwhile, bent down in front of Takafumi's apartment door, knocking lightly upon hearing Sorata meow from the other side. His other hand was holding what they had bought earlier from the sex store.

"What? And you can't come back now?" Masamune huffs, before letting out a scoff and a "Of course" in between silences listening to whatever Takafumi was saying to him. "Fine, bye."

"Where are they?" Ritsu asks, standing

"They're watching something at the movies. I have the spare key he gave us from back then, so he said to go ahead and use it. He says to give them two hours."

"Oh, okay," Ritsu says, moving aside for Masamune to open the door.

...

"He got so big!" Ritsu exclaims, petting behind Sorata's ears when the latter pressed himself against Ritsu's side as he sat on the couch.

"Is Yokozawa even trying on the diet?" Masamune thought aloud, chuckling when the feline gave him a look before jumping off the couch to stretch and go drink water.

"It's not like he's fat, just..." he trails off, not being able to find the words to describe it to Masamune. "...Not fat."

Seeing that Sorata had left room between them, Masamune scooted closer to his love, leaning in close with one arm around him. Ritsu flushed at the closeness, hoping his husband wasn't going to try anything. "Ritsu..." he whispers.

"Y...Yes?" Ritsu says, wondering why their voices are suddenly quiet. He turned his head away, feeling the sensation of Masamune's nose trailing lightly down the side of his head to kiss his cheek.

He swallowed, shivering and unconsciously exposing more of his neck as his husband began kissing his way down. Eventually he was asked, "Remember the last time we were on this couch?"

For a small moment all Ritsu could hear was their mixed breathing , blinking in thought before flushing deeply at the memory of that day Takafumi left them alone in his apartment to go take tests. He tried pushing himself away from his husband. "N-no, I mean yes! But, we... we shouldn't..."

"...? We shouldn't what? I was talking about when we all sat here together for reading and studying."

Ritsu blinks in revelation. "O-oh..." He looks off on the floor in mortification, hoping Masamune wouldn't say anything about what he thought was the last time they were on the couch.

"What last time are you remembering?" he hears his husband ask, curious.

"I-It's nothing! Haha..." Ritsu tried to think of something else, fast. "J... Just when we had that pillow fight!"

"What?" He didn't see the look of disbelief Masamune was giving him. "Why did you think it was that?"

"It... It was the first thing that came to mind of course! Takafumi yelled at us when you threw the pillow too far and broke one of his mugs..." He... he wasn't lying, for that did happen... technically.

"Oh yeah," Masamune frowned, "He made me pay double for how much that mug cost."

"Meow." They hear Sorata meowing and scratching something in the kitchen.

"I'll go see what it is," Masamune says, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Sighing in relief, Ritsu looked to the foot of the couch where he had put the bag of lube before blushing and averting his eyes to his hands, flustered. _'That was close,'_ the male thought, his body still feeling the lingering sensations where Masamune had kissed him. _'He didn't recall that one time we-'_ Ritsu shakes his head, trying to shake the embarrassing memory out.

If Masamune realized what he was remembering, the both of them might repeat what they had done the first time on their friend's couch and Ritsu did not want that to happen again. He was grateful Takafumi never suspected a thing after he came home from those tests, even when Masamune had thought it was funny to hint it to him with purposely constructed phrasing.

...

 _'That's what he thought was the last time?'_ Masamune thought, pouring more water in Sorata's bowl. _'Does he seriously not remember what we did on that couch after Yokozawa left for his tests?'_

It all started out with them supposed to be studying and reading, but that never happened. Once Takafumi had left for his tests, he took his chance and wonderfully ravished his then boyfriend.

 _'How can he not remember? He...'_ Masamune starts smiling. _'He called me by my name for the first time and then afterwards...'_

He then reverted back to thinking in disbelief, _'How can he not remember?!'_

 _'Well, I'll get him to remember.'_ Walking back to sit down, he resumed his arm position around Ritsu and went in close again. "What are you thinking about?" he asks quietly, inching closer and closer.

"H-huh? Oh," Ritsu looks ahead to the other side of them on the couch. "Takafumi got a new TV..."

"That's nice," Masamune says absentmindedly, trailing his nose down Ritsu's neck like earlier, gently kissing in a repetitive manner. "Also, I want you to know," he mutters in between kisses, "Just to clarify..."

"Hmmn...w-what is it?" Came the quiet voice. He glanced up to see Ritsu's eyelids lowered, having been quickly lulled by his soft kissing.

 _'Cute...'_ Instead of answering straight away, he continued to press his lips against Ritsu's skin down his neck to his collarbone. The smell his husband's pheromones added on to his growing desire to keep kissing, and he took his sweet time.

...

Minutes later, he began debating whether to leave a mark or not until Ritsu broke the silence with a whisper. "Masamune?"

"..Yes?"

"You didn't answer me."

"Oh." He brought his head up and sat up properly to eye level with Ritsu. "You really don't remember what we did on this couch? After Yokozawa left for his tests?"

Now Ritsu's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"Ritsu," Masamune began, thinking he really didn't remember and decided to be blunt with him, "We did it here and Yokozawa still has no clue."

"..." It piqued his interest seeing his lover flush, staring off to the side. Since his hair from the angle he was looking at did cover his face, Masamune could read him, blinking in surprise at the 'So that _was_ it,' face. "You remember?"

"..." Ritsu refused to look over at him, embarrassed.

And moments later Masamune remembered what Ritsu had protested earlier to him when he brought it up.

 _"N-no, I mean yes! But, we... we shouldn't..."_ Instead of scolding at himself for not understanding what his husband had said he merely smiles: Ritsu remembered, and that was all that mattered.

It wasn't a smile that could be called handsome, or flashy. It was almost kind of like a happy idiot smile that was positively infectious. The effect was, however, something that didn't affect Ritsu that way at the moment; the latter instead flushed and fled the scene to the confines of the bathroom.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Masamune shook his head, having dozed off while sitting against the bathroom door. He looks up at Takafumi, who had his arms crossed and waiting for an explanation.

"Waiting for Ritsu to come out," he yawns, looking around Takafumi and seeing no sign of anyone else. "Where's Misaki and Henmi?"

"Still watching the movie, about an hour left of it, I think. You didn't answer my call so I thought I'd come a little early," he huffs, "And I see you here sleeping in front of my bathroom. What happened?"

"We were just talking about stuff, and it embarrassed him," he lifts a hand to shake the locked doorknob. "Ritsu?"

A soft thud was heard against the door, for Ritsu was sleeping against the door just like his husband was, stubborn and reluctant to come out fearing Masamune was going to pounce. "Mn...? Masamune?"

"Yokozawa's here. Come out."

"Okay," came the yawn, and Ritsu hesitantly peeked out before walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. "Hi..." he greeted to Takafumi.

...

"I'm telling you he lost weight!"

"No he didn't! Are you even trying?!"

Ritsu watched the two as they bickered over Sorata, taking bites of some cake Misaki had made. _'It's really good...'_

Look at him!" Masamune points, and they look over at the feline laying near Ritsu's feet on his back, his stomach long and rounding. "He's like an omelet with rice stuffed inside!"

Ritsu coughed a little at that as he swallowed his bite of cake, trying not to laugh. He then put his plate of cake on the coffee table before picking Sorata up, with slight trouble, setting the cat comfortably on his lap.

"Hey..." Ritsu looks at Takafumi questionably as he asked, "You don't find him heavy?"

"A little, but it's fine."

"He's probably at least 12 or 13 pounds then," Masamune gauged, knowing that Ritsu couldn't lift past around 17lbs. He scoffs in defeat. "That is normal isn't it? He still looks inflated though."

"You're right about that," Takafumi says, "but he hasn't been acting strange, so I think he's okay." For a while, he looked over at Ritsu and Sorata before speaking again. "You aren't working any time soon right? Do you want to take Sorata home with you guys?"

"Today?" Ritsu says in surprise, looking at Masamune. "Can he?"

Masamune pursed his lips in thought before replying. "How about wait a few more days... I want to make sure you'll be okay by yourself at home before trying anything."

"Oh...," Ritsu says, a little saddened.

"If you have some troubles lifting Sorata," Takafumi began, eyeing Sorata's carrier close to the kitchen, "I think you'll reach your limit if you have to carry Sorata in his carrier along with his stuff by yourself. You can't really walk long either right?"

"But..." Ritsu bites his lip in thought before standing up, picking up Sorata and walking over to the kitchen. Once putting Sorata in his carrier he used both hands to pick it up, his hands slightly shaking due to the weight. "It's not that heavy..."

With a sigh, Masamune goes to pick up a bag of cat food and plops it on the carrier. Yelping in surprise, Ritsu lets go, flinching at the thud of the carrier hitting the floor and Sorata's hissing and scratching at the abrupt fall. A lot of the cat food falls out to the ground since it wasn't closed all the way.

"OY! You idiot!" Takafumi yells at Masamune, "You're picking all that up! We just cleaned the floors this morning!" Masamune opened his mouth to speak before clamming up in admittance of his screw up. Now with a irritated sigh, he grabs the cat food bag and begins scooping it up.

"Aah," Ritsu gets an idea. "Can I just take some cat food home along with some of his toys and I can just pick him up tomorrow?"

"I think that's a good idea," Takafumi says, bending down to let Sorata out. "Masamune, you?"

"Yeah, I think we can do that," Masamune grunts, affectionately shooing away Sorata's paws as the black and white feline tried to paw him thinking he was hoarding the cat food all to himself.

* * *

Seeing that they wanted to get to An's quickly before heading home to make dinner, Ritsu and Masamune left, now taking the subway.

"Can we take some books home?" Ritsu asks, sitting next to his husband. "Just one or two, maybe I can take a photo album too... Oh," Ritsu looks questioningly at Masamune. "Do you have pictures from your childhood?"

"Hmm," Masamune frowned. "I think school ones, but I don't think I have any baby pictures..."

"Well, I want to see them." He smiles, "You were probably very cute when you were a kid."

"No way, you'd be cuter," Masamune grins, pinching one of Ritsu's cheeks gently. "Like a little prince."

"Wouldn't I be handsome then?" Ritsu laughs, remembering something, "I remember when me and An were younger. When we would have no one else to play with I would pretend to be the Prince and she would be the Princess Knight fighting imaginary dragons to save me."

Masamune raised a brow. "Princess Knight?"

"Yeah... Sometimes we switched of course," Ritsu explains, "I didn't want to be the one to be saved all the time."

...

"Rittie!" An shouts excitedly, pulling him into a hug before seeing Masamune and yanking him over into the hug. "You too!"

"A-An, won't this hurt the baby?" Ritsu asks hesitantly, wary of his body being hugged hard against his sister's pregnant stomach.

"It's fine, it's fine!" She says, smiling as she let them go, her hands now on her hips. "We're strong!" She exclaims, ushering them inside.

"Are Mom and Dad here?" Ritsu asks, him and Masamune taking off his shoes.

"Nope," she replies, "Daddy had a business trip until Thursday and Mom went with him. It's just me and Kazuto."

"Really..." Ritsu says, feeling somewhat relived and saddened at the same time.

"Hey guys," Kazuto walks in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "Why don't you guys stay for dinner? We're having friends over and we're making a lot too."

An beams at them. "Please? They're all our bridesmaids and groomsmen, and I want you to meet them! Also I want to show you the nursery and go over our pictures, please?"

"Okay," Ritsu answers, excited, before turning to Masamune. "Want to see my room now?"

"Eh, that's right," An giggles, "You haven't been in there yet huh Masamune? Be careful, it's really messy, and we didn't rearrange anything mind you, it's all Rittie."

"N-no! I am not that messy!" Ritsu huffs, red in embarrassment, pulling Masamune towards the hallway. "You'll see!"

"We'll call you guys when they get here and the food's ready!" An says cheerfully. "Don't have too much fun in your room!"

...

Masamune simply looked ahead at Ritsu as the latter pulled him along to reach his room.

He was going to be in Ritsu's room for the first time.

His heart refused to stop racing, and his mind went back to when Ritsu went into his room the first time.

What was he going to see? A huge load of books like in his old room?

Ritsu's hands felt so warm too...

And he suddenly stopped, and Masamune was startled for a second. "Ritsu?"

"...C-can you," from behind he can see his husband's ears were red. "Can you wait out here for a little bit?"

Masamune snickers. "Are you going to clean your room real quick?" he laughs when his assumptions were confirmed with the embarrassed glare he was met with. "You've seen my old room messy before," he goes ahead and opens the door to go in. "Let me see."

"W-wait...!"

Masamune goes in, unprepared for what will hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)I'm sorry! I'll update again soon with the other half!  
> *Since the reading and studying didn't happen in Ritsu's point of view- just Takafumi leaving them alone in his apartment for the first time to take tests- there was no particular reading and studying day, so that's why he was stumped.
> 
> For anyone wondering this, but Takafumi isn't a groomsmen, because:  
> 1\. He would be technically Ritsu and Masamune's best man/groomsmen, not An and Kazuto's.  
> 2\. An and Kazuto consider him a family friend, and they don't hang out as much as Ritsu and Masamune do, even in between those three years,  
> 3\. Takafumi would have refused this night anyway because Henmi, Misaki, and him are doing something.


	16. Chapter 16

He really didn't see that coming. Not being able to push the door all the way open because something was in the way, Masamune's face got hit. "Ow..."

"I-I'm sorry!" Ritsu apologized, shuffling past him and picking up the book between the door and his desk; putting it back on the desk he ushered Masamune in and turned on the light. Hearing nothing, he watched as his husband gazed around quietly, absorbing everything in his book dominated room.

Glancing to his bed, Ritsu flushed at the two pieces of clothing on his bed and goes to move them to his closet.

Masamune couldn't help but smile at the untidy, stacked pile of books in front of the already filled book shelves, set between the lightly book piled desk on the right side close to the door, and to the left was Ritsu's bed against the wall. When he looked to see what Ritsu was doing, he chuckled at the younger man who was now trying to organize his closet quickly. "You don't need to do that."

Stiffly, Ritsu stopped before inching away from it, embarrassed. "Sorry it's messy."

"No way, this is a good messy," Masamune says, pulling Ritsu to his bed. "Lie down with me."

...

"How many boxes do you think we'll need?" Masamune asks after a moment of silence.

"What? For what?"

"For your stuff, obviously." Masamune faces him. "Married and you haven't moved in with me."

"I have stuff over there-"

"Clothes, your papers, your cell phone, and that's it."

Ritsu was quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say. "But it's fine this way," he eventually says, looking up at the ceiling. "My stuff will make the apartment messy."

"Nothing wrong with that," the older mumbles. "I'd love to clean after you."

"No..." Ritsu frowned. "I don't want to trouble you, so it's okay the way it is now. Really..."

"What makes you think that? Ritsu, I want everything of yours with me, with us. Remember, it's no longer my apartment, it's ours."

"But," Ritsu slowly turned towards him, troubled. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"I... I mean..." Ritsu bit his lip, and sat up. Nothing came out of this mouth though; he stayed quiet, thinking.

Now Masamune propped his head on an elbow, watching Ritsu carefully. At this point, he was becoming very frustrated.

* * *

"If you don't want to move in with me, just say it."

Ritsu shot him a incredulous look. "That's not it!"

"Then what is it?" Masamune scowled. "Why is it so hard for you to tell me?"

"I don't know!" Ritsu admits, seeming very frustrated himself. "Everything..." Masamune worried when Ritsu laid back, clutching his stomach as the turned his body towards him. "Everything's so different now," Ritsu says to him, becoming painfully quiet.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?" In concern, Masamune reaches forward to touch the hands clutching his stomach. When Ritsu flinches, Masamune's lips press into a thin line before grabbing one hand gently and warming it with his own hand. He didn't remember anything wrong with what Ritsu ate earlier. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"N-no, it's nothing... I think I just feel stressed is all."

"Stressed?"

"I'm ok-"

"No, Ritsu," the latter was startled when brought up into an embrace, and refused to look his love in the eye until one of Masamune's hands turned his face to face his own. While he didn't know how to exactly go about this, what Masamune did know was that he wanted his Ritsu to be open with him, and not feel so stressed and unable to communicate. "Tell me what you want."

"Wh-wh-what?" Ritsu stutters out, not understanding. He was currently more distracted by their close faces.

"Tell me what you want, without any buts or anything like that. Don't stress about any of that, and just tell me straight up."

"What I want...? But I don't want anything right now."

"Ritsu-"

"N-no, that's it," Ritsu interjects, understanding dawning on his expression; he unconsciously grabs hold on Masamune's shirt. "I'm fine the way things are now. Think about it," he begins, "Since I can't work yet I can come here to visit and change clothes when you're at work. Walking back and forth is good exercise too and..." he trails off, waiting for his husband's response.

"I... I want you to move in with me."

For a while he blinked, and looks back at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry," Masamune chuckles tiredly, touching bringing their foreheads together. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I never even thought about that stuff, and it does sound good for you. I can't help but think though, about how empty our apartment is and I just..." he trails off, bumping their foreheads softly. "Just promise me that someday, you'll properly move in with me."

Ritsu frowns. "What's wrong with the apartment the way it is now? I wouldn't say it's empty; you have a lot of books too."

"Yeah, but when there's none of your things around but your clothes I..." he sighs, pulling away a tiny bit to look at Ritsu. "It scares me to think that I'll see none of your things at all one day, and then find you gone without a trace."

The younger's brows furrow. "Without a trace?"

"I would get so many nightmares back then," he explains, his hands back to grab Ritsu's. "I would call for you and look everywhere in the apartment and see only my things and no sign of you ever living with me. And then I hear your voice outside but you aren't out there and no one wouldn't tell me anything." Ritsu felt his heart churn painfully trying to imagine it, and he couldn't say anything as his husband continued. "It repeats sometimes, differently, where I do find you but right when I get close every time, you disappear and no one believed me..."

"Another one I had a while back was that I'm going to the hospital to see you, but right when I'm outside your door there's Yokozawa telling me about your funeral and I woke up so scared to death... And throughout all that I could never sleep by myself, or with anyone else but you."

"When they finally allowed me to sleep next to you instead of me sneaking around, and take care of you-everything, I was so happy. I wanted to be the first thing you see and hear when you woke up. Of course though," Masamune scoffs, a little annoyed, "Haitani and the nurses were the ones there when you woke up first..."

"B-but it doesn't really count though," Ritsu interjects, trying to make him feel better. "It was all blurry and I went back to sleep right after; and then when I was actually awake I saw you sleeping."

"And you started crying," Masamune then hums, hugging Ritsu back to him. "I was so glad you remembered me," he kisses the side of Ritsu's head. "It depressed me to think that you would wake up with no memories and your mother would take you away from me," he kisses Ritsu again. "Or that you'd wake up thinking Yokozawa was your husband."

"What?!" Ritsu stares at him in shock. "Why would you think that? I don't think I'd ever think that... and if I did, Takafumi would tell me that he wasn't my husband!"

"I know, I know, but I couldn't help it! Sometimes I think to myself that he's a better match for you; he always seemed to understand you better."

...

"..." Masamune feels Ritsu's shoulders shaking and turns his head down to see him. "What?"

Ritsu eventually looks up with a little smile, bashful. "Sometimes I feel the same way when I see you two together. You both have more in common when it comes to joking and stuff so-"

"No... no," Masamune kisses him again. "No way..."

"...Who would top?" Ritsu whispers in question after a few seconds of silence, and when Masamune looks down at him in shock, he retracts. "I-I-I was just wondering-I-I mean, I don't think you both would-" he bites his lip, stopping there.

"Would you want to top me?" Masamune suddenly asks, curious.

The younger blushes at the thought, and rapidly shakes his head in negative. "I don't think I even have the strength to do that!"

"Hmm... true, but-"

"Guys!" They hear An, "Everything will be ready in half an hour, okay?!"

"Okay," Ritsu calls out, and then remembers that he wanted to show Masamune something. "Oh," he gets up and off the bed, looking through his books now.

"What is it?" Masamune asks, watching him search through the pile.

"One of our albums- ah," he pulls it out and goes back to beside Masamune, opening the thin album.

The man Masamune saw on the first picture that was obviously not An's father but was standing close alongside a young Ritsu's mother close, he assumed that that was Ritsu's father. "Is that your father?"

"Yeah," Ritsu breathes, laughing quietly. "Back when they met the first time before their arranged marriage."

"Arranged marriage?"

Ritsu nods. "She didn't like him."

"Oh? What was he like?"

He smiles. "Like me when we first met. She told me back then that she found him uncool and too much of a gentlemen."

"Did she ever fall in love with him?"

"...A little before I was born. One thing she regretted before he died was that she didn't have the chance to finally tell him out loud that she loved him."

"O-oh," Masamune swallowed thickly, feeling sympathy for his in-law. Looking at the picture again, he couldn't help but give a small smile. "You have his eyes."

"Yeah..." Ritsu smiles. "I do..." He stares at the page for a moment before turning the page.

...

Eventually getting to see baby Ritsu got Masamune grinning form ear to ear. "God, you're cute."

"Shut up..." Ritsu mutters, despite smiling a little in embarrassment. He turns the page quickly to his toddler stages. "And this-"

"You've somehow surpassed cute," Masamune says, taking the album from Ritsu and flipping through the pages and back in awe. "How is that possible?" He takes out his cell phone and goes to camera, immediately clicking.

"M-Masamune, give it back!" *knock knock*

They turn their heads to see An come in, holding their stuff from the store in its bag along with the some of Sorata's stuff. "I'm going to leave these in here, if you don't mind; some of our friends might get nosy."

"Oh, okay."

"Want to come see the nursery now?" She sees Masamune with the album. "I can also get you another bag if you want to take some books home with you."

* * *

"I wanted something warm," An chatters on with Ritsu, Masamune lingering behind. "I went through so much color samples though, I forgot which mix-shade of brown this is."

"It's really pretty," Ritsu comments, pushing the rocking chair in the corner before sitting on it. "Do you guys know the gender?"

An giggles, "That is one of the reasons why we've gathered our friends here tonight. Mom and Daddy already know," she laughs, looking between the both of them excitedly. "Guess."

Masamune and Ritsu share a look before answering, "Girl."

She looks at them surprised and obviously disappointed. "You guys didn't even think about it?"

Masamune points behind her to the balloon hanging over the crib reading, CONGRATULATIONS, IT'S A GIRL!

"..." She hurriedly grabs it and stuffs it in the closet before turning back to them. "I-If you guys didn't see that, what would you have guessed?" she asks quickly.

"I would have still said girl," Ritsu honestly admits. "I know you said earlier you wanted a boy and everything but..." he trails off, and Masamune picks up after him with his response.

"I would have guessed twins," the older shrugs, "Didn't really think about the gender part."

"Do you guys have names?" Ritsu asks after.

"Nope, not yet. I've thought about Ringo, Mariko, Suzuka..." she sighs. "So many to choose from..." Hearing the doorbell resound through the house, An gestures them out, "They're here! I can't for you to meet them!"

* * *

2 Hours later...

"They were a nice bunch huh?" Masamune says to his love, holding hands with him on the way home having just walked out of the station. His other hand held onto some books they had taken from Ritsu's room and some of Sorata's stuff, while Ritsu, in his other hand, held the lightest bag holding the lubricant.

"That one guy had sparkles coming out from nowhere... He was very handsome, wasn't he?"

"I can't believe he just works at a bookstore."

"And he's younger than us too; Kazuto never really explained how they met, I think I'll ask him next time-"

Suddenly stopping, Ritsu looked to see Masamune looking around carefully. "What is it?"

"I know... I know that I shouldn't give you any rules or anything, but promise me that you won't be out here past 8."

"8?"

"8 or 7 at least. Since you can't run that far or anything, I don't want anything bad happening to you when I'm at work. On average I'll probably be home around 10 at least."

"Okay. After I get Sorata after lunch I'll head straight home."

"Remember to rest if you get tired okay? Just be sure there are a lot of people around; I'll call you every hour and-"

"Masamune, you know can't do that," Ritsu protests, "People will get angry with you."

"But-"

"Masamune, I'll be alright," he tries to assure. "Also, um..." Ritsu lets go of his hand to take out his cell phone, "You have me on your GPS thing right? You don't need to worry so much now right?"

"You promise to take it with you when you go out?" He nods, and Masamune sighs, taking out his phone and seeing that the GPS was working. "Alright. But remember to charge your phone too; they told me at the place that you won't show on my screen if your phone's dead."

Ritsu frowns. "I don't remember getting the charger though..."

Masamune pats his coat pockets as they start walking again. "All in here."

"Really?" Ritsu pats it. "I didn't realize the packaging was that small."

On the way home, they take notice of the maintenance working on the lights that went straight across to their apartment building; overhearing that something was wrong, they watched as the men working began looking through some papers.

"Probably a circuit gone wrong," Masamune explains when Ritsu expressed concerns. "Or something doesn't match with whatever's drawn on the paperwork. They're probably going to shut these off in a little bit."

"What? What about people coming home?"

"They probably can get one light on, it's no big problem. You can also go around up there near that old park."

"Oh yeah," Ritsu remembers the weathered down playground. "It's still there?"

"Yep. I don't know what it's like now around there though." Ritsu pondered this as they reached their apartment, wondering what around that area has changed.

...

"What time do we wake up tomorrow?" Ritsu asks, in bed while Masamune turned off the lights before joining him.

"6:30," Masamune states, setting the alarm before cuddling with his warmth-emitting love. "Goodnight, Ritsu."

"Goodnight," Ritsu murmurs back, and sleep greeted them like a good old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Next chapie, I think I'll bring back Ritsu/Masamune POV for some many bits.  
> An got pregnant around the middle end of August. When Takafumi met Misaki and introduced him to everyone he had already turned 19.  
> So An is around 13-15 weeks (3-4 months along at least), and for some people they are able to see the gender of your baby by then.
> 
> I'm so sorry I think I might be wrong I know right now in here it's a little after or at the end of November so...  
> I'm also trying to keep in mind all the small details and I hope I didn't make any contradictions...


	17. Chapter 17

It felt so strange walking in here, in the hospital, after how many days; feeling the hand holding mine tighten, I can tell that Masamune was reluctant to let me go to go to his office. He's been quiet ever since we left home.

First I was going to see Dr. Haitani for my check-up, and then head out to get our rings. After that I could look around a bit and later bring back lunch to eat with Masamune.

Of course, that would be the first and only time I can do that with him probably... I understand that someone's spouse going in and out a lot for things like lunch and stuff is frowned upon by most staff. I couldn't help but frown a little, wondering if he was going to be okay. I didn't quite realize it until now but Masamune tended to be a little too close...

"Ritsu!" Seeing Dr. Haitani, I felt Masamune tense with our clasped hands.

"Don't worry, Takano!" Dr. Haitani says, probably seeing his tensing too. "Just a standard check-up, nothing new," He gestures me to come along, and I watch as he goes around the corner along the wide hallway we're in. "Come on!"

Masamune tugged me back effortlessly when I tried following, hugging me close. "Ritsu."

"Masamune, I have to go!" I tried moving away. "I'll be back for lunch and-"

I felt my eyes widen as he kissed me, not letting go as he held me tighter. I can feel one of his hands holding the back of my head while the other pressed against my back.

How long has it been? I couldn't tell- I needed to breathe... Everything felt so nice, and warm...

I didn't even realize my eyes had closed until we pulled away, and that he was practically holding me up as my legs became weak to the sensation.

"Sorry," I hear him whisper, chuckling a little as he helped me stand steadily. I can feel him kiss my forehead as I came out of my daze.

"Takano!" Dr. Haitani must have seen that I wasn't behind him. "It is time to work now! You will see him later!"

...

"Along with that..." I watch as Dr. Haitani goes through some papers on his clipboard, waiting on the examination seat-like table. "You haven't felt any pain or trauma anywhere? No seizures?"

"Nope."

"Okay..." He scribbles something down. "Are there any questions you have?"

"Oh, um..." The edge of my shirt suddenly became very interesting. "When is it okay for me to have... um..."

"Alcohol? I wouldn't try until maybe until the new year starts since your friend Yokozawa told me you were a lightweight. Better just stick with water and the likes."

"N-no, uh-"

"Oh," he laughs, "Sex right?"

"Y-y-yes..."

"Well, since you can't be on your feet for too long, and getting tired easily... I'd say wait a few more weeks and get your stamina up."

"Okay," I answer, thinking about all the things I can do at home and out to keep busy and up.

"But don't you go into it quickly- take your time okay?" Dr. Haitani starts tapping his clipboard with his pen. "Your sister and Yokozawa told me you tended to overdo things often. Don't wear yourself out."

"O-okay..." An, Takafumi... how much have you told him, and what stories did you bring up?!

As I put on my coat, he hands me back my phone after putting his number in. "Do you remember the way to the... the closest jewelry store, right?"

"Yes," I said to him, confident. With a pat on my back he directs me to the elevator and sends me off.

* * *

2 more minutes... I take off my white coat, trying to relax as I sat back in my chair.

Ritsu... he didn't get into a accident did he? No, no... he wouldn't... I run my hands through my hair, trying not to imagine Ritsu getting suddenly hit by a car.

That's right... I bring out my cell, going into the GPS. Let's see...

He's here... but I still feel anxious... I suck in a deep breath before sighing. Just relax. He's here...

No. I put my head on the desk; now all I can vision is Ritsu having a seizure on his bed. He's not a patient here anymore... he won't be going through that again... Never...

Hearing a knock, I straighten seeing Ritsu peek in hesitantly, wondering if it was okay to come in. My mood instantly brightened, those dreary thoughts being pushed away. "Ritsu."

"Hi," he says quietly, making his way in holding take-out in brown paper bags. "I got Chinese..."

"Great," I roll my seat around the desk to hug him over after he sets the food down. "Come here..."

"Masamune," he complains, but hugs me back anyway before getting the food out of its bags. "You have 15 minutes right? We better eat now."

15 minutes... then for 5 plus hours no Ritsu... Not even one glimpse...

"Masamune?"

I look in surprise seeing the box in front of me before taking the box of stir-fry noodles. "Thanks."

After a while, we start talking after a few bites. Ritsu takes a look around. "It's nice..."

"Yeah... but I seriously need your pictures in here."

"Huh?!" I smile seeing him flush. "Don't you have people coming in here? They're going to see!"

"It's no problem. It'll be just a few in frames. The other doctors have photos of their family in their office..."

Ritsu swallows his some of noodles before talking again. "Sorata- Takafumi and everyone... they're family too. You can have their pictures in here along with mine."

"What?" I frown trying to imagine their photos in here. "No, that's too weird."

"How's that weird?! Having a room full of photos of just me is weird!" He takes in some more noodles again, quickly, and I chuckle seeing a small mess at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't eat so fast, you might choke," I say to him, reaching my thumb over to wipe the spot off before licking it off myself. I watched as his face went from confused to looking scandalized and embarrassed.

It's so fun doing stuff like that with him...

Not to torture him for too long though, I grab a napkin from the bag to wipe over that corner of his mouth again. "There. You don't have to be so flustered you know." It spurs me on so easily...

"...I can't help that," he mumbles, lightly blushing as he starts eating again. "Oh!" He sets his noodles on the desk before taking out a small, felt covered box. "I got the rings! Here..."

I couldn't help but grin at the sight of the new rings. When he handed mine to me before looking over his, an idea went to my head. "Ritsu."

"What is it?"

"Let me..." After setting my food next to his, I take his ring from him before grabbing his hand. "I never got to put it on you myself like this before."

He gives me the longest surprised stare before he caught himself, looking away from me. "A-ah, okay!"

It wasn't hard to see that he was happy, even when he looked down at the ground to hide his face from mine. When I caught the corners of his lips struggling to keep a small smile, I couldn't help but pull his face to mine so our lips can meet for a few seconds.

"My turn," I then say, staring from our hands to his face as he put the other ring on my hand. As our eyes met again, he smiled at me, very happy. Ah...

Damn it. I went forward to kiss him again. I want him...

When we pulled away, he probably saw it in my eyes because he hands me back my part of the take-out quickly before grabbing his own to resume eating. "W-we should probably finish these huh?"

Oh Ritsu... I can see him glance up at me before getting caught once more, trying his hardest to finish his food.

That's right. Looking at my watch, I see that I have 6 minutes left. ...Damn it. I go and finish my food too.

* * *

Having finished with 3 minutes left, Ritsu goes to throw away the food before noticing that his husband rolled his way on his chair back to his desk, quiet.

 _'Is he... sulking?'_ Ritsu thought, before smiling and sitting back in one of the seats in front of the desk. "Masamune?"

When the man finally looks at him, obviously now upset, Ritsu couldn't help but try and smile reassuringly at him. "It'll be okay..."

Scoffing, Masamune takes out some papers and busies himself with them, trying to space himself away. "You should go."

Understanding his sudden brush off, Ritsu gets up to leave. "I'll be heading out then. See you when you come home."

While he walked across the room, he wondered if Takafumi and them were out at their office. _'Should I go there first?'_ Masamune had given him the spare key to Takafumi's apartment earlier in the morning, but wouldn't be best to see the man and get the official okay to take the black and white feline?

 _'Ah, but wait...'_ Ritsu thought back to Masamune, not noticing the man himself longingly gazing at him from behind his desk as he approached the door. _'He won't be looking at the GPS too much, right? I wouldn't want to worry him when he sees me going where we didn't plan...'_

* * *

 _'It's still around lunch time, so maybe he's home...?'_ Ritsu thought as he walked out of the elevator in Takafumi's apartment building.

He was so happy when Misaki opened the door, in his standard dark green kimono, surprised and smiling. "Mr. Ritsu!"

"You can call me Ritsu, you know..." Ritsu mumbles bashfully, walking in.

"Sorry, I can't help it!" Misaki laughs, going into the kitchen. "Mr. Takafumi and Mr. Henmi already went out a while ago, so I'm must cleaning up. He said to get Sorata ready for you, but I didn't want him in the carrier for too long if you ended up coming in the evening..."

"Ah, that's fine." Following him into the kitchen, he sees something slow cooking in the pot cooker. "What's in there?"

"Oh? Ah, I'm trying roost beef! I just turned it on now, and by the time work ends it should be done."

"Ohh..." Ritsu's mind couldn't help but churn its wheels thinking about what to make for dinner. _'Should I do something like this...? Masamune might like it...'_

Misaki probably noticed his mind's direction. "Do you want to do it at your home, Mr. Ritsu?"

"Y-yes... Can you help me...?" he asks, hesitant. "I know you're busy and all-"

"No, it's fine! Really! It's not much work and it'll be soft enough for you to eat..." Misaki goes around the counter to grab a note pad and pen. "Here, we'll go to the store and get this..." he starts writing, "-and then this..."

Sorata yawns on his little perch close to the couch as he watches the two males leave for the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus, our dear Ritsu is distracted with thoughts of dinner, his schedule forgotten temporarily. What will happen later? Surely, Masamune is too busy to check on him on the GPS...


	18. Chapter 18

...Ding!

Ritsu poked at the pot cooker then, hoping he had done everything right as he let his meat cook for dinner. Misaki had parted from him after helping him prep so he can get Sorata ready.

Sighing in relief, he takes off his apron, setting it on a hook near the refrigerator. Rice was already cooking, so it would be ready soon before Masamune would get home.

 _'Now I just have to get Sorata now,'_ Ritsu thought happily, putting on his coat and leaving with his house keys- completely forgetting that he left his cell phone on its charger in the bedroom.

...

"Are you sure you can do it?" Takafumi asks him, eyeing Ritsu carefully as he held up Sorata in his carrier.

"Yeah," Ritsu breathed, excited that Sorata was going to actually stay with Masamune and him for a while. "Two weeks right?" Later, he would walk back and forth if Sorata needed more food or a change of toys; something that would keep him busy a little.

Takafumi nods, and Misaki looks over at Ritsu carefully. "Remember, if you get tired, just sit and rest. Are you sure you don't want anyone coming with you?"

"I'll be fine!" Ritsu says in confidence, heading to the door. His hands start shaking as he releases one hand off Sorata's carrier to open the door, and his body tilts slightly in struggle. However, he manages to get it open and put his hand back to the handle to join the other.

Before he can feel triumphant though, Takafumi walks out after him with a sigh. "I'll help you out of the building."

Ritsu was about to object, but instead sighs, nodding in defeat. "Okay..."

* * *

"Remember to call whenever you need anything."

"Okay," Ritsu says, nodding in farewell as Takafumi walked back to his building; he ended up walking Ritsu past a crosswalk once a car sped by too quickly, worrying him.

Once Takafumi was out of sight, Ritsu took a deep breath before walking ahead. He couldn't help but feel a little afraid now, like a small child being separated from his parent.

 _'I can do this!'_ Ritsu tried to think confidently, reaching another crosswalk and passing it when the light changed when he arrived.

After five minutes he felt tired, so he sat on a bench. Sorata meowed nonchalantly, sitting down with a bored air. Wondering if Masamune sent anything he put a hand to his coat pockets. Finding nothing, he brought his hands about his pants pockets back to his coat ones, trying not to panic more than he should.

Swallowing, he began looking around, fright coming into his senses.

 _'No! No...'_ Ritsu took a deep breath before shuffling to the edge, closer to Sorata's carrier. _'I... I'm not alone!'_ He decided then that he would be brave for him and Sorata, and stood, ready to head home hopefully safe and sound.

...

As he began passing by more and more people, Ritsu realized he was close to their part of the shopping district, which was on the way to their home. This meant that he didn't get lost or anything. Or hurt. Just a little slow, which was fine.

Looking up at one of those screens on some of the buildings, he caught the time, which was 6:43. He smiled; that meant he would probably make it home between 7 and 8, which was more than okay.

Something seemed to be happening though; there seemed to be more people...

Walking further, he realized he wouldn't be able to walk across the street to get closer to home; there was a huge platform and stand in the way. One end had flowers and sparkly designs, while the other had sort of a dark and metal thing going on, and Ritsu wondered if he should've watched the news for any info on this.

 _'Hmm...'_ Ritsu tried to get a closer look at the signs put up around the platforms. _'School Time Love Meadow... and Night Time Music Fighting collaboration by Yoshikawa Chiharu and Mori Natsuya...? And a surprise declaration from Yoshikawa Chiharu? I wonder what it is...'_

He noticed some posters and stands, seeing the drawings. _'Shoujo and Shounen Manga...'_ Ritsu never read any sort of manga yet, so he felt a little lost. _'Like 'The Kan'? These two must be fairly popular then...'_ He glances around, _'I wonder what they're about.'_

Remembering he had to go home, Ritsu shakes his head of those adding 4-5 minute distractions, and walks up past the stands, hoping to go up and around right and across the crosswalk up there to get home. He looked up at the screens on the buildings to see that it was now almost 6:50.

20 minutes later...

 _'How long is it until I get there?!'_ Ritsu begins to really tire, not having rest in those minutes, _'I... I don't think I should be walking this far...'_

Eventually, he recalled Masamune reminding him of the old park. He should be turning right and walking past it, but...

 _'Did I go too far?'_ He glances around shyly before approaching a old man. "Do you happen to know where this old park would be?"

"An old park? I think there was one..." He points where Ritsu had walked from. "You see where that event is happening and they have that boundary where people can't go past that? I think right there a little past the boundary where that street turns, is around where the park should be. All the way down there."

"O-oh... Thank you," Ritsu bows, before looking down that direction, beaten inside. _'I've been walking all this way for nothing?! I could have saved at least 10 minutes!'_

Hearing a hiss all the sudden, Ritsu looked down curiously at Sorata's carrier. "Sorata?" Ritsu looked around; the old man had gone his way, so there was just a policeman standing dutifully near a parking meter. "What's wrong?" As the policeman began to move his hand to his side Sorata lurched forward, loudly hissing.

"S-sorata?!" Ritsu tried holding on, surprised. He put the carrier down, the weight lifted from him as his muscles relaxed, but now he felt more tired.

"Is something wrong?" The policeman, dark brown-haired under his hat, had come over, startled by the sound of Ritsu putting down the carrier and Sorata's hissing.

"Oh, n-nothing," Ritsu breathes, clutching on to the handle and lifting it. "I- I just got tired is all!" he laughs nervously. "I came out of the hospital after a long time so..."

"Is that so? Well, I can-" He reached forward, only to have Sorata protest angrily, and Ritsu jerked away, putting down the carrier again.

"Ah..." Ritsu tried carrying it again, feeling even more tired after putting it down and up back and forth. "I-it's okay... It'll help toughen me up."

"Are you sure?" The policeman asks, seeming worried as he can see Ritsu's hands slightly tremble.

After a moment's mental debate, he takes out a small notepad and scribbles something, hesitating towards the end of the scribbling, before handing it to Ritsu and gesturing him to cross the street. "A little bit up here is the police station. There is a policewoman trainee like me by the name of Tsuno Koriko; give this to her and have her help you home and then to come meet me down at the event. We're to help with security."

"Oh...kay," Ritsu says, a little lost as he walked where the policeman trainee told him to go. _'Trainee...?'_

* * *

Once Ritsu entered the police station, he spent a moment looking around lost before a young man in a hoodie approached him. He was a little taller than Ritsu, and had light, short hair. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Um..." He tried remembering what he was told. "Is Tsu..Tsuno Koriko here? One of you guys told me to ask her to help me home before heading to be security at the event... down... there..." He trails off, unsure if he got it right.

The man regarded him in confusion. "Koriko? She hasn't been here all day- she called in sick."

"H-huh? Really?!" Ritsu looked down, thinking of the unread note in his pocket. Did the other policeman trainee not know that?

"Actually," the man begins, "I'm going down to that event too," he now notices Ritsu's shaking hands on Sorata's carrier. "You needed help getting home, right? What's wrong?"

...

"I... I don't think I need this," Ritsu protests a little, being wheeled forward in a wheelchair. "I just needed help with the carrier..."

"It's fine!" The light haired man replies, not deterred at the slightest pushing Ritsu forward while holding onto Sorata's carrier, having attached a strap through the handle and had it over his shoulder. "The fact that you walked a lot more than you should have without resting long is more worrying. You could have fainted!"

"But..." Ritsu begins. "I didn't run, at least..." Hearing a meow, Ritsu smiled. Sorata seemed calmed now.

"So, what's his name?" The man asks, friendly. "He seems a like a good cat."

"My husband and I are co-sharing with a friend. His name's Sorata."

"Sorata? Wow," he starts, "This friend I made recently, the guy he lives with now has a cat by the same name too!"

"Really?"

"Yep! My friend said he never really had a pet before, so he felt lucky. He came from this village some hours away, and he tends to wear kimonos and yukatas everywhere. I've been trying to get him to try regular clothes, but he won't budge."

"Oh, I have a friend like that too," Ritsu says, happy that they have something in common, "He's been helping me recover faster and building my strength. His name is Misaki-"

"Eeehh!?" Ritsu looks up in surprise at him, "You too?" He pauses. "Takahashi Misaki?" Ritsu nods. "Ah!" The young man smiles. "Then we know the same one! You must be Onodera Ritsu right?" He then frowns a little in thought. "Then it's a good thing you're okay. The other guy with Misaki and the guy he's living with, Henmi I think, he told me that heads would roll if you got hurt. Is your husband like a professional fighter or something?"

"N-no..." _'Did Henmi and Misaki not tell him that Masamune is a doctor?'_

...

"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you my name huh? I'm Toudou Shinnosuke." He says after a while. "You know, at first I was wondering how you know Koriko. She never told me about having a friend like you or anything." He laughs, though it seemed a little sad. "She's been distant lately, so I was worried that she fell in love with someone else and was hiding it from me."

"She's your girlfriend?"

Shinnosuke sighs. "Yeah. Probably not for long though... She said a few weeks back that I was too much of a gentleman. That's when she started to be distant."

"W-well," Ritsu pauses. "You'll find someone else that will like your gentleman qualities. You're still young too, so time will tell."

"I hope so..." he quiets for a moment. "Wait..." He stops and looks around. "You said something about an old park? I think we went past it."

"Are you sure?" Ritsu looks about, and when he looked ahead, he spotted the building. "Oh, over there. I didn't realize we came this far."

As they kept moving, Ritsu looks back at Shinnosuke, wondering about something. "Did something happen to your uniform?"

"Koriko bumped into me during lunch the other day, and she promised to clean it for me and took it. But then she called in sick today, and I thought maybe yesterday night she put it back in my locker before that so I can take it to clean myself, but I couldn't find it. I had this hoodie in my locker from days back so I just pulled it on."

"Did you get in trouble for it?"

"I got a huge warning, but I had to work on mostly paperwork today, so it wasn't too bad. Actually, when you came in I clocked out- I'm going down to the event because I wanted to get an autograph from Mr. Mori."

"You're a fan?"

"Yeah, though, not as much as I am a fan of Mr. Ijuuin, who does 'The Kan.'"

"'The Kan'..." Ritsu trails off. "I should really read it huh?"

"Yes, yes!" Shinnosuke agrees enthusiastically. "It's so good! I'm surprised Misaki didn't pull you into it yet. Though, if you end up not liking it much, it's alright. We'll show you the anime so you can get in on the action! The cooking on it is so amazing!"

"Is that so...?"

"There's also a live-action, I can't believe I forgot! It's coming out soon in theatres! Misaki and I should totally take you!"

 _'L-live-action?'_ He remembered seeing a picture of 'The Kan' and it had a small mustached man. _'That little man had a huge mustache... and his eyes were closed so how...?'_

His thoughts were halted as they arrived in front of the apartment, and he looked to see the street that he could've crossed if weren't for the event, lit up all the way and no longer seeming dangerous.

"Wow, you think I can get there from here?" Shinnosuke says, "Although, I probably have to go back up a street and then go huh?"

"Yeah... That platform is in the way."

"Do you need help taking him up there?" he asks, referring to Sorata as Ritsu got up.

"No, I think I'll be fine." Ritsu smiles. "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem!" Shinnosuke says, putting Sorata's carrier down and taking off the strap. Worried that Shinnosuke would have to take the wheelchair all the way, Ritsu frowns in thought.

"I-I can take the wheelchair, and then return it tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to go all the way back up there..."

"What? Oh, no, it's alright!" The light haired of the two ponders it for a bit before grinning. "I plan to buy some stuff at the event too, so I can use this for sure. Besides, I don't think you'll have the energy to take both Sorata and this up the stairs."

"O-oh... true..." Ritsu says, deflated. He definitely needed to work out more...

* * *

After seeing the younger man off, Ritsu made his way to his apartment, feeling grateful that he managed to get home okay. _'I should thank him somehow...'_

Taking of his shoes and coat, Ritsu then pulled in the carrier, opening it immediately so Sorata can finally stretch. The poor thing's probably cramped.

Setting the carrier near the couch, Ritsu goes into the kitchen to check on the pot cooker before getting Sorata water and food in temporary bowls. Ritsu was sure Masamune still had old bowls that Sorata had used before Takafumi took him in and bought new stuff.

He remembered about kitty litter and that Masamune said there was some under the sink, so he brought that out too along with its square flat container to put it in.

Finally, after getting all that done with, Ritsu retreated to the couch. He found solace on its cushions, closing his eyes to rest a little.

...

A little after 10, Masamune managed to make it home. Rushing out of the elevator, he made way to his apartment in haste.

Ritsu wasn't answering his phone calls, or his texts.

He had called Takafumi earlier, and the man himself tried to assure him that Ritsu was probably napping.

But if that wasn't it? What if Ritsu fell and hit his head? Or tried to cut something and bled out?

Sometimes the GPS couldn't be trusted. What if he didn't even make it home?

He shuddered. No...

"Ritsu?" Masamune calls out, taking off his shoes. Hearing a meow, he walked further in to see Sorata lounging on an arm of the couch. Hurrying closer, he sighs loudly seeing Ritsu sleeping peacefully. He found himself going around to lay next to him on the outer end of the couch, hugging him close. _'You're okay...'_

"Mm..?" Ritsu turns, waking as he felt another presence joining him. "Masamune?" Ritsu snaps his eyes open then, climbing over him to go to the kitchen and turning the pot cooker off. "Phew..."

Curious, Masamune follows, wrapping his arms around Ritsu as he looked over him. "What are you doing?"

"Misaki was making roast beef, so I thought I'd do that to so he helped me prep. It's probably really cooked now though..."

"Smells good," Masamune comments, before looking to the rice cooker and heading over. "I'll get some plates.

...

Ritsu watched in interest as Masamune began eating.

While Misaki helped him cut and prep, he mostly seasoned, so he hoped it tasted right. Misaki had to stop him when he mixed up flour and baking soda (Flour to make the gravy around the meat thicker).

"It's really good."

"It is?!" Ritsu says happily, bubbly inside.

"Yeah..." Masamune looks over at him, raising one of his brows. "Are you going to eat or not?"

"N-no, I'm going to..." he takes a bite himself then, smiling at the taste. Seconds later he hears a click, and looks to see Masamune taking a picture of him on his cell phone. "What are you doing?"

"You're so cute when you eat something satisfying. I'm to print all these out and put them in my office."

"'A-all these out'? You have more?!"

"Of course." He chuckles. "I made great use of my cell phone camera."

"There's no way you can put all of them in your office. What will your patients think?"

Masamune thought about that for a bit before saying in a fake, surprised, high-pitched voice, "OH?! Dr. Takano must be a huge fan of this male model, it's almost too much! I've never seen him before though... Oh? This is his _husband_? Dr. Takano must be _so_ lucky to wake up next to this beautiful, _sexy_ -"

"Stop! Stop!" A flushed Ritsu protests, not sure whether to be angry and embarrassed or laugh at the voice Masamune was making. "Please!" He picks up a piece of beef with his chopsticks.

"It's true though-" Masamune pauses as Ritsu stuffs beef in his mouth, taking it in and swallowing. "I never realized you were for indirect kissing..." he trails off, his voice becoming purposely husky.

"S-shut up!" Ritsu says, eating and trying not to talk. He tried in vain to will away his blush but to no avail.

Laughing for a moment, Masamune then obeyed and resumed eating.

Inside though, Ritsu felt very happy, especially when Masamune began laughing. He didn't even know he could feel this happy, even when his husband was making him feel embarrassed yet complimented at the same time. However, throughout it all, he had forgot about telling Masamune about his earlier situation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)I guess I'll leave it off here. I made this a little too long...
> 
> Guess who the victim, the accused, and the actual culprit is! Or not... To each, his/her own. Personally though, I think I made it too easy...


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Here is the next chapter!  
> There was a request for a Sorata POV for a whole chapter, so here it is! It coincidentally goes with what I planned for this chapter so here it goes! For those who don't know, POV is point of view.

Sorata POV:

As I woke, I stretched out before I walked through the apartment I was to be living in for a while. The sun had just arrived, shining through the window, but no one was up. It felt a little strange, seeing that I was used to hearing Misaki making things in the kitchen by now.

Misaki had meant well to me, trying not to give me more treats than I needed to eat, even if I wanted to eat more. I want to be slimmer of course, but I cannot just deny delicious food. It was torture when Misaki made fish meals in my sight, cutting those yummy filets into appropriate sizes and ohh...

Why was no one up yet? Maybe Misaki is one of those 'early birds' I heard about. Takafumi would wake up an hour later, and treat me when Misaki wasn't looking. Those two are very stubborn in their ways of feeding me, but they mean well. Henmi was... okay. I haven't forgiven him yet for stepping on my tail, even if it was an accident.

It's been a long time since I lived with Masamune. He has become more of a worrywart than Takafumi! When he came home he goes straight to Ritsu like a distressed kitten.

And those moments when they visited for the first time in ages... He made Ritsu drop me in my portable cage, spilled all my food, and then tried taking it! Before that he made a comment about my tummy so I thought for sure he was trying to limit me.

Hearing footsteps and the sound of water in the walls, I peered carefully into what seemed to be their bedroom before walking in a cool manner. I was no longer a lost kitten, and I shouldn't be acting like one. I just haven't been here in ages is all.

"Sorata?" I look up seeing Ritsu walk out of the bathroom with a towel. He lays it on the bed on the empty side before coming over to pet me. I can hear Masamune softly snoring.

Ritsu was different than from what I remembered. He used to talk a lot, but now he's quieter, and he doesn't seem to be as strong anymore. Many times when I was in my carrier my heart was going to explode wondering when he was going to drop me.

I wondered what happened. I remembered long ago, when Takafumi would be gone for too long, only coming back to feed me and be with me for a little while and look through papers. And rest of course. Sometimes I hear Ritsu and Masamune's name a lot when he talks to someone on the phone, but I would never see them.

They didn't forget me though, and everything seemed okay now. However, Ritsu was vulnerable now; had I let that suspicious person near him the other night, who knows what could have happen? I understand now why Misaki asked me to protect him.

Hearing groaning, I can hear Masamune waking up. "Ritsu?"

"I'm here. I was going to make breakfast- you don't have to wake up for another half hour."

"No," he yawns, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I'll do it." He heads for the bathroom, but not without bopping his mouth on Ritsu's head.

...

"He didn't hurt you?" I lift up my head after drinking some water. Masamune seemed disturbed about something Ritsu had told him.

"No, no, it was fine! He helped me home- he ended up being one of Misaki's friends."

"I see..." Masamune still seemed upset. My ears perked; was Ritsu bringing up the events of yesterday?

"Sorata didn't like the other man though, I've never seen him hiss so much." Ah yes, he was. I jutted out my chest proudly before moving to lean against Ritsu's feet. For some reason they were really warm and I think I deserved a rub for protecting him.

"I read cats can sense certain things," I hear Masamune say, "Next time you see that man, get away."

"But it was a policeman!"

"Not all of them are good, you know that right?"

"W-well... yes. I will be more careful though, really. My arms got tired and I ended up walking more than I needed to."

"...Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I guess today I can just read and exercise huh?"

Masamune chuckles. "I think I also have some manga somewhere, if you want to try that out. I also think Yokozawa said something way back about our neighbor..."

"Ah, our neighbor?!" I purr as Ritsu's feet pressed along my back. "Is it still the same old lady?"

"Yep."

"I can't believe we didn't say hi to her... I totally forgot..."

"It's fine, Ritsu. Yokozawa told her about what happened, so she probably understands."

"Really? Oh, and, what do you want for dinner?"

"Anything's fine. This weekend though- all weekends, I'm cooking. And anything else. If you want take-out or to go out and eat, we'll do that too."

"What? But-"

"No buts. To think, I planned on spoiling you ever since we got home, but I can't even start that yet because of work."

"H-huh? No I didn't... I just doing what-"

" _Ritsu_."

"B-but-"

"RITSU."

"..."

"..."

I hear Ritsu sigh. "Okay..."

* * *

"Don't forget to answer your phone, okay?" I wondered where Masamune was going. Work? Wherever it was, Ritsu couldn't go with him. At the other home, Misaki would leave with Takafumi.

"I will." Ritsu answers him, and Masamune then swallows him with his arms. I walk around them to jump on the couch to sit, and I can see that Ritsu had his head on Masamune's chest with his eyes closed. He seemed comfortable.

Masamune had his eyes open though, and he seemed sad. When he let go he put on his shoes and went to the door. "I guess I'll be leaving now."

"Have a nice day," Ritsu replies, and before he can go around to where I am, Masamune rushed back to him in such a speed I stood in surprise. His arms were around Ritsu again, and he was nuzzling into Ritsu's hair. "Masamune!?"

"...I'll miss you." Masamune sounded sad.

"I-I... I'll miss you too," Ritsu says back to him, and now he put his arms around Masamune. "I, I might nap, so please don't get worried if I don't pick up."

"You won't go out today?"

"Nope. I'll be here reading and exercising, like I said. Don't worry," Ritsu backed away a little, and he looked up at Masamune. "I'll be here."

It took me until this moment to realize they were mates. They even shared the same the room! Back then when I was a kitten I didn't quite understand. I understood at least that they were closer to each other than with Takafumi. I wonder when Takafumi was going to find his mate.

I don't think Misaki has a mate yet either, but I'm sure it's that strange tall man with light hair, the lightest I've seen on a man. He always follows us on our walks, but Misaki never notices. I wonder what he'll do now since I'm here.

! Hearing a door shut, I come out of my daze to see Ritsu walk into a room for a moment before coming out with a book in his hands.

...

Blinking out of my apparent nap, I remembered I was on the other side of the couch pressed against Ritsu's warm feet. He was gone though. When I looked up I found him on the ground doing something strange.

His front hands, were lifting him off the ground, and his back... feet were together and straight behind him also keeping him off the ground. With his hands his body touched the ground barely before going up, and then down. Up and down.

After what felt like a while he fell against the floor, and he was breathing a little hard as I jumped off the couch and went up to him. Was this exercise? Why did he subject himself to this? He seemed tired now.

Hmm... playing kept me in high spirits. I trot to my portable cage, looking into the bag beside it for what I felt like playing- ah, there it is. Pulling out the long stick with the stringed bait that refused to be separated from the stick. It helped me with my leaps though.

When I presented it to Ritsu, he seemed confused for a moment before grabbing it and holding the stick up so the stringed bait hit my cheek. Okay... I shake my head and batted at it with my paw. It took a while for him to use it properly, but when we got to it, he seemed energized. I seemed to have that kind of effect on people, like Takafumi when he came home from work.

Ritsu even laughed a little and praised me when I leaped particularly high! I've been doing my leaps really well lately, if I do say so myself. Noticing a little scruff along my smooth fur, I stopped playing to clean it. Ritsu walked off somewhere, and didn't come back. Curious, I looked around and found him in the kitchen making what I think is a sandwich. Before he sat down and ate though, he went over to my dish bowl and dropped something.

I went over there, and feasted my eyes on the delicious treat on my food. He picked the good medium-sized one too! Happily I grabbed it and laid it between my paws as I sat down to eat it.

* * *

The water turned off when Ritsu pushed the handle, and I pawed at it as he dried the plate and put it up. I wasn't totally against water, but I didn't like taking baths.

! Running to the door, I meowed at the knocker. The voices on the other side were Takafumi's and Misaki's. What were they doing here?

...

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Ritsu asks, and I watch from my own couch cushion as Takafumi and Misaki talk to him. They seemed a little stiff.

"You met Toudou yesterday right?" Misaki asks, and he seemed more relaxed.

"Yeah! He helped me home..." Ritsu looked worried now. "D-don't tell me... Did something happen yesterday after he helped me home?"

"Yes..." Takafumi talked now, reluctant. "He is accused of murder."

"What?!" Ritsu says back shocked. "No way! I..." He was determined now, for some reason. "If I can help, any way I can..."

"Thank you Ritsu," Takafumi says gratefully.

"Where did it happen?" Ritsu asks, "Was it at that manga event?"

"Yeah," Takafumi begins, "It happened around 8:53, when everyone on stage was taking a break. They found a mangaka dead in his temporary room. Mori Natsuya."

"The other mangaka, is she okay?"

"Actually," Misaki begins, "It was the other mangaka who found him! He's going to be one of the witnesses in the trial."

"...He? I thought that other name was a girl's name..." I didn't really understand what was happening; jumping off the couch now, I settled against Ritsu's feet, listening in boredom. I wanted Ritsu to play with me again.

"Did you see the signs? The ones that said 'And a surprise declaration...?'"

"Oh! So it was a pen name?" Ritsu guessed, "What's his real name?"

"Yoshino Chiaki!" Misaki answers.

"Yoshino... Chiaki?" Ritsu says quietly, like the name rung a bell to him. Playing with a bell sounds fun for right about now...

"Although, he won't talk to anyone now," Misaki continues, "The detective scared him and he clamped up. Now he won't open his room to anyone."

"I see... He sounds like a shy person..."

Now Takafumi spoke to him. "Ritsu, did Toudou have anything on him when he brought you home?"

"He... he took the wheelchair and the strap he had to carry Sorata. He said he was going to use the wheelchair to put stuff on it when he goes to the event. He didn't have a weapon or anything, if that's what you meant by anything."

"But Mr. Ritsu, his gun was found at the scene of the crime along with his prints!" Misaki says, "And his uniform was found back in his locker with the victim's blood on it!"

"What?! ...Wait," Ritsu seemed confused now. "But he couldn't have had it. His girlfriend had it with her, but she didn't show up for work yesterday because she was sick so he didn't get it back. That's why he was wearing a hoodie instead."

"His girlfriend, Tsuno Koriko?" Takafumi then asks, Misaki and him sharing a worrying look. "She... called in sick yesterday?"

"That's what Toudou told me..." Ritsu fidgeted with his hands a little. Seeing that, I got up to jump on the couch and laid on his lap, his hands now petting me. "The other policeman told me to give a note to her too and said she was supposed to help him with security at the event, but I guess he didn't know that she called in sick."

"The other policeman?" Misaki repeats, but now he seemed sick. "Mr. Ritsu, there was only one person on security, and that was Tsuno Koriko."

"H-huh?" They showed him a picture, and I narrowed my eyes at the suspicious person from yesterday. "That's her? B-but... that's the policeman I met. Sorata wouldn't stop hissing whenever he got near us. He even sounded like a man!"

"...Sounded like a man?" Takafumi frowns. "She talked to us in um... her own voice? She didn't sound like a man at all."

"I see... then, uh," Ritsu gently scooted me to the side before heading to the small closet near the front door. When he comes back he hands a small piece of paper to Takafumi. "He- I mean she gave this to me to give to... herself? I put it in my coat pocket and I haven't read it so... I hope it helps."

After Takafumi pocketed the note, it looked like he was thinking hard about something before showing another picture. Ritsu recognized the face. "Ah, I've met him before!"

"You have?"

"Yeah, when Masamune and I went to go see rings. I knew the name Yoshino Chiaki sounded familiar! He said he was a mangaka, but I didn't know for what." Ritsu turns to Misaki. "Did you know he's a big fan of 'The Kan'? When I told him about you he wanted to meet you I think, but I didn't have your number then..."

"Really?" Misaki paused for a moment before grinning at Takafumi. "Let's go see him again. I think I can break him!"

"W-w-what?!" Ritsu sputtered. "You're going to break him?! Is that what fans do to each other?!"

"No, no, no," Takafumi tried to calm him. "He means getting him to talk! Like breaking his silence you know?"

"O-oh... sorry." Ritsu sheepishly says, "Is this a new type of slang? I haven't caught up yet..."

"It's not, I assure you. Nothing's changed that much..." Takafumi says, "Misaki was just copying the detective. He was part of the yakuza in his youth."

"No past tense, Mr. Takafumi!" Misaki corrects, pulling back his kimono sleeve, "You can never leave the yakuza. It lingers like stagnant air on a hot summer's day."

While Ritsu complimented his sentence- Takafumi had a look like he really wanted to say something about that but instead he just sighed. They left afterwards.

* * *

The sky outside was dark now, and the air smelled nice right now. A food nice.

I wonder what Ritsu was making in that pot. He almost dropped it but he managed to balance himself. Then he tripped on his way to the couch after setting it on the stove. He went to pick up his tiny phone after it rang, but he only talked into it for a few minutes. I faintly hear Masamune's voice.

He's reading a book again now, with me next to him. I didn't want to feel sleepy, but I didn't feel like playing or anything so I guess this will do. Hearing a small click and a buzz, I turn my head to the lit up box- the television.

I swear my head cocked to the side the same time as Ritsu's when we saw Misaki on the screen. Why was Misaki on television with the light-haired man? Now the taller man was holding a huge bear. What was this? Ritsu clicked with whatever was in his hand quickly, and now on the television was this man throwing five balls and catching all of them while tossing them back in the air at the same time. Some sort of trick show?

Ritsu got up to tend to his pot, and I went to the bag next to my portable cage. Something colorful had caught my eyes. Taking it out with my paw, my eyes delightfully eyed the red ball of string. One thing always bugged me though; the strings always set free when I play, long ago, but now they don't. It just stays in a ball, and I wonder what Takafumi had done to it.

"What's that?" Ritsu had come over here now, and he brought the ball into his hands as he felt it. "Yarn?" He tugged at one of the strings and saw a bump, and I understood now what Takafumi had done to it. He may have won the last round, but now I know his secret!

With a meow I take it in my mouth before tossing it. Pouncing now, I aimed my paws to the particular loops and went at it. Soon, my wonderful strings flew everywhere. Ritsu seemed mesmerized at what I was doing. He stared with wide eyes at the work I've done, and tried lifting some of them off the ground as he sat down. Did he want a bottom view of my strings?

No problem. I roll my now uneven lump of string over his legs, and soon I had him tugging and playing with me too. I managed to get some string over his head. "S-sorata, stop!" What, stop? Did he want a moment to stare at my majestic piece of work?

I didn't realize I was so distracted until I heard Masamune's voice. "Ritsu? I'm-" He comes into our sight, and he freezes, struck by the lovely arrangement of my play.

One of Ritsu's hands was holding some string, and his face was almost as red like the strings as he stared at Masamune. He tried pulling all the strings back to him, but when one of them tightened around my paw he shakily took it off me before wrapping everything back up in a ball. Did something happen? Maybe Ritsu thought Masamune couldn't handle the beauty- he was still staring for no reason.

* * *

"You look like you had fun today." He sounded a little angry. Lying under Masamune's chair, I was resting after finishing my food.

"W-why are you saying it like that?"

"Because it's not fair. Why can't Sorata work and I play with you? I want to wrap something around you too and see you get all red..."

"I only got red because you kept staring!"

"..."

"...S-stop."

"..." I watched as one of Masamune's feet climbed up Ritsu's legs.

"Masamune!?"

"Someday we can play on the bed together, and maybe the couch... all day long- oh, and in the bathroom too-"

"Eat, please!"

Masamune laughs, and he puts his foot away from Ritsu. "Sorry, sorry... okay. Oh yeah, I heard the weather is going to be a little warmer tomorrow. Come eat with me? There's a small café close by. I don't have an appointment after lunch so it'll be fine if I go back a little late."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I heard around that most people were going to go out for lunch, especially to this new place that opened up. It's been a good week so far, so why not?"

"Okay." Ritsu sounded happy. "Maybe I can take out Sorata too. Is it alright to walk a cat?" Oh yes, walks. I wonder if my leash is in my toy bag if I look harder...

"Right when I plan a date for us you plan a date with the cat."

"We both need exercise! And it's not a date!"

A few seconds later Masamune laughs again. "Look at me, jealous of a cat. I wish I can become a cat for a little bit, and you would pet me and play with me. And we can cuddle all we want."

"You can't really cuddle with a cat... and we already cuddle." He has a point. They would squish me.

"Oh, do we?"

"Y-yes..."

"Why are you blushing?"

"No reason! N-none at all!"

"What are you thinking of? You want to cuddle naked?"

"W-w-wh-why would I be thinking that?!" he flusters, and the chair above me shakes a little more as Masamune laughs heartily. I wonder if I could hear Takafumi laugh like that someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Omg, I went too long again... dang it. I hope I didn't make any typos...  
> How many of you guys know what Ace Attorney is, gameplay and everything? Just curious. I have yet to grasp it on writing.
> 
> The exercise Ritsu was doing was push-ups, if any of you were still wondering.  
> The detective... maybe he's a certain someone's dad... or Miyagi. Not sure yet. Flexible placements.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note 2014-)Sorry I took long. I was focusing on another story for a while.  
> Also, my family went to Turner Falls (-_-)''  
> I can't swim, and going in and everywhere, the water was... *shudders* I mean, it was a little nice, but there were so many people and... auggh...  
> I just can't relax and float in the water and swim. I just can't.

Light barely filtered into the room when Ritsu woke, wondering how he could wake up so early as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Next to him, Masamune seemed to be sleeping very deeply from the breathing he was hearing, having one arm over Ritsu.

Ritsu wondered what he could do now. He didn't have to make breakfast now, so maybe he could just go bring a book back from the living room and read? Carefully positioning Masamune's arm back to himself, Ritsu crept out into the living room. He fumbled a bit looking for the lights, but it was okay. As he grabbed the book he wanted to read on the coffee table however, his gaze drifted to the office room. He never really stepped in there yet.

After glancing to the bedroom and back, he walked quietly into the office room that Masamune mostly used. To his memory, faintly, he remembered that he had forgotten what their marriage date was. So he opened one of the last drawers in the desk, and looked through the many files and paperwork.

 _'Ah!'_ He found it. Sliding out the folder from almost the bottom of the stack, he then looked through it properly as he sat on the office chair next to the desk. _'...?'_

_..._

He never stared at a paper so incredulously in his life. Just in case he flipped the folder open and not, looking away and blinking some five times before looking back at it.

It can't be. *flip*

Nope. *flip*

That... that really is the date. Ritsu stared for a few more moments. Eventually, he closed the folder and put it back where he found it before fleeing into the living room to sit on the couch.

He was going to pretend like he never read it.

 _'Is there a thing where you can re-do your marriage date?'_ wondered the brunet. _'I... I can't believe that... we got married on that day.'_

 _'Was I even sound of mind that day?'_ Ritsu couldn't remember. _'Why else would I let us get married on that day? Unless I didn't remember at the moment?'_

 _'Then again, I was the one that proposed to him. To him it was out of the blue I think...'_ He groaned. _'I was most probably not sound of mind that day. Wasn't he finishing a test that day? It was a little rushed that day too, wasn't it?'_

_'And then afterwards I did all that prep with Takafumi just in case...'_

_'Wait, wait... No, Masamune was busy, so he said that we'd do it on the weekend, and that's why it was coincidentally on that day... right? Right?'_

_'My Dad's birthday...'_

_'...'_

_'Mom...'_

"Meow." He looked to see Sorata.

"G-good morning," Ritsu greeted, petting his soft back. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry..."

All he got back in return was a twitching ear and a light purr as Sorata rubbed himself against Ritsu's legs.

Thinking that he should go back to bed now, Ritsu peered into the bedroom before stepping in, making sure he didn't make any sounds.

"...no." He stiffened at his husband's voice, thinking that he got caught before relaxing; he wouldn't actually get in trouble for waking up a little early and wandering around... would he? Surely, Masamune was just going to ask him why he was up and etc. No trouble.

That in mind, he quietly slipped into the bed and relaxed under the warm blanket.

"N...no..." He faced his husband curiously, not having a recollection of Masamune ever sleep talking. Ritsu himself was more of the sleep talker, so he wondered if this was one of the nightmares Masamune had told him about.

"...tsu, where..." Hearing Masamune's voice gradually becoming hoarse, Ritsu sat up again to get a better look at him.

"Masamune?" Ritsu whispered, pushing back his bangs to feel his lover's forehead, finding it burning and feeling the light spread of sweat under his palms.

"A fever?" Ritsu whispers under his breath, glancing around on Masamune's side of the bed for the man's cell phone. Pressing for the first screen, he found that it was just a few minutes until Masamune was supposed to wake up. Sliding the screen for the contacts, he looked for any of the hospital numbers.

"Nng...h.." Masamune coughs, slowly opening his eyes as he sensed someone looming over him a little. "Ritsu...?" He turned to see the brunet look at him worriedly while holding his cell phone.

"You have a fever," Ritsu felt his forehead once more, and Masamune frowned at the word. "I'll call the hospital and-"

"No... you don't have to," The older sat up, groaning as he ran a hand through his hair. Ritsu followed him off the bed as he headed to the bathroom, tottering to the side a bit before Ritsu helped steady him.

"It should be okay if you took just one day off, isn't it?" Ritsu asked, worried for him.

"It's fine." Masamune replied firmly, leaving no argument.

After they ate breakfast, Ritsu watched as he put on a face mask before heading to the door. "Masamune?"

"What?"

"We don't have to have lunch together today, I thi-"

"No, Ritsu," Masamune put on his shoes. "It'll be okay. It's not that bad. I'm not missing another day off or dropping our lunch plans just because of this."

"But-"

"I think I have at least 12 days of vacation this year, minus two around the time you woke up. I want to use the rest to spend around the last two weeks of December with you. Believe me when I say this: I'm okay."

"..." Ritsu's lips were pursed into a thin line, understanding that. He didn't know how to respond to that, however. "Masamune-"

"Ritsu." He turned his gaze up to see Masamune at the genkan with his arms wide, wanting a hug.

Giving a huff, he complied as he went to hug him. "...Lunch at the same time as last time right?"

"Yep." He chuckled as Masamune then pecked his forehead with his face mask on.

* * *

"So... Takano~" Shin began, and arm over Masamune's shoulder as they were walking down the hallway to their assigned rooms. "Remember when I said you'd owe me from back then? Well, I want to do that next week."

"What?" Masamune asked, his voice slightly muffled by his face mask.

"You know how last year I had to go to that convention with Dr. Hakure and Dr. Sakurai? Now it's my turn and it's in Fukuoka. Dr. Hakure's going to go ahead of us since he has to visit his sister anyway, so we'll both leave Friday morning next week and come back early Sunday morning. How about that..." He looked to see a look of pure dread on Masamune's face. "Takano?"

"..?" Shin watched as the man shrugged off his arm to go into his room in a sauntering matter. "Takano?" Following after him into his room, Shin saw the man's back, and he seemed to be looking at something on the other side.

"Oi..." Shin went around him and grabbed the man's cell phone to see what he was looking at-

"..." The doctor stared at the screen, a mix of disbelief and wariness as he went through a whole album worth of photos full of just Ritsu. It didn't seem to end as far as he could tell, and what he suspected many months back of his co-worker seemed to be true. "Ah..." He peered at Masamune's face.

"I think you have problems-"

"I do not!" Masamune retorted, denying such accusations. He snatched back his cell phone with a glare.

"Someday he's going to get a job again you know." Shin states knowingly. "Also, since he's been asleep, I don't think he would miss you as much as you'd miss him-"

 _'Ah... I hit a nerve...'_ Shin thought, seeing the other man quickly look down to the floor, upset. "I mean, he would miss you! Just, I think you're the one we should be worrying about! You get that look in your eyes when you aren't able to go see him at the end of the day!"

"..." Masamune turned towards the door. "I'm going home."

"You're going to leave just like that?!" He grabs one of Masamune's arm. "Wait!"

"..."

"Aren't you going to meet him for lunch soon? You can't just get out of it like that- even if you are going home to him. Think about him for a moment! If you keep hovering over and back to him don't you think it's going to annoy him sooner or later? He's not used to it, right?"

"..."

"And you're still having those nightmares right? Don't think we didn't notice."

"...I don't have them as much anymore,"Masamune says after a long period of silence. "It's only once in a while now, but it gets better after one when I wake up and see him."

"So it's not big deal? You still feeling okay, other than the cold you have now?"

"I'm good."

"Okay then..." Shin crosses his arms. "Still though, I think you'll be okay being gone for a day. You can use that for practice since you won't be able to rush home like you do now." Seeing Masamune eye the walls he adds, "I know this is going to be hard for you, but I think you'll do fine. As they say, 'with distance, the heart grows fonder...' something like that."

"..." Masamune turns back to the door. "I'm going home-"

"No way!" Shin yanks him back. "Hold on...!" He takes out his own cell phone and goes through his contacts. "I think I can ease your worries..." Putting his cell on speaker, he waited for the other person on the line to pick up.

"Hello?" Masamune perked up at the sound of Ritsu's voice. "Dr. Haitani?"

"Ritsu, I have to tell you something." Replied Shin.

"W-what is it?! Did something happen?"

"Oh no, nothing's wrong. It's just that Takano has to come with me next week to Fukuoka for a convention and he's going to be gone Friday morning until Sunday."

"...Is that fine with him? I don't think he wants to miss anymore days."

"No, it doesn't affect that. Are you okay with this?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Are you okay with him gone? You won't see him all day Saturday."

"I think I'll be okay. I have Sorata with me." Shin eyed Masamune hesitantly at Ritsu's confident answer. "Will he be okay though?"

"Why do you say that?" Shin asks, trying to pretend as if he were oblivious to the few plights of his co-worker.

"I think he worries for me too much..."

"Oh? You sound bothered, what's wrong?"

"I kind of want to go out now with Sorata and walk around since I found his leash with his toys, but if Masamune sees me moving on the GPS app he'll get worried because we didn't talk about it so-"

"Wait wait wait wait...!" He covers his cell phone as he turns to Masamune. "You freaking have him tapped on a GPS?!" He goes back to Ritsu before Masamune can answer. "So, Ritsu, would you feel better if he got rid of that? Like right now?"

"I-I guess so... but if it helps him worry less it's okay. I think he's scared I'm going to get into another accident or something."

"But... Do you ever feel that he doesn't trust you?" He shushed Masamune's attempt at protesting with his free hand.

"What? No... I really think he's just worried. When we left the hospital I wandered off and he got really worried. I don't want him to worry so much it'll affect his work at the hospital."

 _'A little too late for that,'_ Shin thought, before speaking. "Are you ever going to tell him that it bothers you, being tracked on GPS?"

"A-ah, it doesn't bother me that much... But, I figured out what I want to give him for his birthday and Christmas, so I'm going to ask him if he could just not look at the GPS or a week."

"No Ritsu, don't be like that! Just tell him to just stop tracking you in general- don't you find it creepy?"

"..." It all got very quiet suddenly.

"Ritsu?" Shin says, wondering if something was happening on the other line. "What's wrong?"

"A-ah! N-nothing's wrong!" Ritsu laughs nervously. "I... I don't think it's creepy."*

* * *

Masamune sat back in his chair at the café, cell phone in hand as he tapped it with his thumb absentmindedly. While it relieved him that Ritsu didn't feel annoyed with him at all from the earlier conversation, one part of him felt guilty.

Was he holding Ritsu back being like this? Back then, he was okay with Ritsu going out doing whatever since he did so as well while studying, but now... Thoughts would rush in his head; Ritsu falling, Ritsu getting hit and hit on by cars and strangers, Ritsu being taken away from him- those kind of thoughts always hindered him. He never wanted to see Ritsu in that state again, lifeless in a hospital bed, hurt...

_He was forced to wait outside the room as people rushed in and out, calming his breath as he continued to breathe in and out. They brought him a paper bag to breathe in to but he didn't want to._

_When he looked at his hands he couldn't calm their shaking. He had no way to stop it._

_Again, Masamune heard the monitors and the faint screaming of his husband. Standing up, he staggered to the room's door until he was stopped by Shin. "Takano... I don't think you want to..." Shin had him sit down again away on the other side of the hall._

_"We never really get coma patients, you know," Shin began, "And when we do... It's very slim- their chance of waking up."_

_"I'm not trying to say that he isn't going to wake up, just..." Shin sighs. "I mean, he's probably the third one of our few coma patients who has had seizures in his coma. And this is his fourth one. For us, that's a lot... he even almost twisted his wrist with the bed's railing the second time." He nudged Masamune's shoulders. "You okay? I can call your friend to pick you up. Actually resting at home might be good for you."_

_"No." Masamune stubbornly glared at his hands. "I'm staying."_

_"You look pretty shaken up since you actually saw it this time. Are you sure?"_

_"Yes, I'm sure." He clenched his hands into trembling fists._

_Shin sighed at his stubbornness, stretching his own hands as he spoke again. "It's strange, isn't it? When it happens to others, we do what we have to. But when it comes to the people we care about, it's different. Very different."_

"Masamune?" He snaps out of his trip to memory lane, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ritsu.

"Hi."

Ritsu gave him a small smile. "Hi. Are you feeling better?" He asks, putting a hand on his forehead after he sat down across from him. "You're a little too warm. Do they have soup here? You can eat that. I'll make soup tonight too."

"You don't have to. Either way, I will eat anything you make." Masamune says, before handing Ritsu a menu to look at the choices.

...

"Promise?"

"Promise." Masamune repeated, handing Ritsu his cell phone. "Do the honors."

"What?" Ritsu looked to the screen, and saw the delete message. "I just want you not to look at it for a week, not-"

"No, do it." He sucked in a deep breath in and out. "If this keeps going on I guarantee how I feel about this will get worse."

"But-"

"Please. Do it for me."

Ritsu eyed him, concerned at the anxious expression that flickered across his lover's face. Hesitantly, he looked at the screen for a moment before pressing delete. He handed the phone back. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Masamune put his hand on Ritsu's, his thumb roving over the soft knuckle, "I'm fine."

"Sirs, here is your food!" A waitress announced, putting down their food.

As Masamune thanked her, he noticed from the side that Ritsu seemed confused, his brows furrowed at the brunette waitress.

"What's wrong?" he asks after she leaves, taking off his face mask to eat his soup. He glanced at the screen on his cell phone and tapped it to see that they had 11 more minutes of lunch.

"She... reminds me of the policeman from the other day." Ritsu says reluctantly, taking out his cell phone. "Should I tell Takafumi?"

"Why?"

"That day, when Misaki's friend helped me home, he got arrested for murder and that policeman..." he trailed off, seeing the 'explain to me' look on his husband's face. _'Oh, I didn't tell him that part...'_

After he did explain, Masamune just told him to get back to his lunch. "But shouldn't we tell him?"

"Knowing him, he'll find out later, or Henmi. Or Misaki maybe," he says, focusing on his meal. "You don't have to get involved with that."

"But we're here! And..." Ritsu poked his chicken pot pie. "I want to help them, especially since Misaki's friend helped me. He's innocent."

"Then let Yokozawa do his job. He doesn't need our help. Besides, you gave him that note from the policeman right? You helped enough."

"I hope so," Ritsu mumbles, then taking a bite of his pot pie. He hummed at the taste, taking another bite and another. Everything tasted wonderful to him so far after coming out of the hospital, and he loved being able to chew and bite again. At home, he was getting better at cooking too, so he felt very content at the moment, thinking about all this.

"Good?" Masamune chuckles, having taken a picture of him without his notice.

"Yeah..." he trailed off, debating mentally before offering Masamune a piece.

Smiling, Masamune shook his head to decline. "I don't want to risk getting you sick."

"Oh..." Ritsu replied before feeding himself. A minute later of eating he remembered what Shin told him. "Dr. Haitani told me earlier that you guys have to go to Fukuoka right? Will you be okay?"

"..." the older of the two pursed his lips. "I'm so used to seeing you everyday now, I don't think I can... I can't sleep without you."

"Hmm..." Ritsu thought for a moment. "You can take my pillow since I'm going to sleep on your side."

"You're going to sleep on my side of the bed?"

"Well, is there a rule I can't?" Ritsu faintly blushed. "Even if I have Sorata with me, I'll still miss you."

"Really?" Masamune says quietly, before coughing to the side.

"Ah, you should drink some water," Ritsu recommended, before nudging his bowl of soup towards him. "Let's finish our food."

* * *

An hour later, Ritsu smiled watching Sorata walk ahead of him on his leash, quite used to walking about.

Personally, he never walked a cat before- much less a dog. He didn't even know you can walk a cat. At first he had thought it was strange but this was not strange, but an experience he didn't know he wanted until now.

Ritsu couldn't help but feel a tiny bit saddened though; Sorata officially belonged to Takafumi now.

 _'Can I ask for a cat on my birthday or...?'_ He looked up at Sorata once more. _'Does that mean I'm betraying him though? Or maybe he'll see the new cat like a sibling or playmate?'_

He faintly remembered when Sorata was a kitten. For a moment he regretted never playing with him a whole lot, but seeing that the cat didn't seem bothered, he tried not to himself. Cats live in the moment, so he'll try not to beat himself up so much. For the two weeks he was staying, Ritsu was going to try and play with him as much as he can.

 _'That's right.'_ Ritsu remembered, heading with Sorata to Yokozawa and Henmi's shared office, _'I wonder if they can help me, since I don't have a computer or anything.'_

_'Masamune's Christmas gift... Almost a whole month away.'_

_'I know Masamune doesn't want me working or to buy him anything, so this is another way, isn't it? I hope he doesn't get too mad that I'm going to try and find her when he's gone next week. I really want to give him something...'_

_'But... If I want to get back his childhood pictures- and baby pictures if possible, I need to find his mother.'_

_'What was her name again...? He told me her name once,'_ Ritsu pondered for a few seconds. _'Sa- no, Takano... Takano Kotoko?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014 Notes-)READ THIS: So... I've decided that I'm not entirely going to do the rest of the chapters depending on Takafumi's cases.  
> ACTUALLY, I will say it in the upper author's notes whether it's a case day or not like I did a few chapters ago. For this second case, it will end next chapter.  
> And after the next chapter, it's going to be their Saturday together. Then after that I'm going to move forward to the Friday through Saturday to Sunday chapter, where things get busy.  
> Then later, stuff stuff. Still pending on some things.
> 
> *So the reason that Ritsu doesn't find it creepy or anything about the GPS thing was because well, he didn't find it creepy, and he remembered their high school days where he thinks now that his book stalking doesn't compare to what Shin thought was creepy of Masamune to do with the GPS.  
> So it's like a 'Oh please, I've been creepier', but not really XD I just wanted to poke fun at this, though...  
> It... it wasn't really that funny... But fun for me... I tried.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)I don't really know if I could ever manage to do Takafumi's story to this. It'll probably be as long as this.  
> I mean, I'll have to re-read this story (if I manage to finish it) and sew bits and pieces since they're sort of timed with each other.  
> I don't think people will read Takafumi's side to this much either. More plot than romance and Zen and Hiyo don't come in together yet until later... :/ I'm planning 5 cases.  
> Second case wraps up today!
> 
> Then next year (in here), the third case will happen sometime.  
> Hehe... for the last case, I totally want to pull a 'everybody is involved somehow' haha... I wonder if I'll be able to pull that off...

_I never liked crowded spaces that much. I wanted to be somewhere quiet._

_"I'm going over there," I said as I looked back at Ritsu. He was obviously torn between following me and going over to the stands; I wanted to go into the building to listen in on a seminar._

_Wait._

_Wait, wait..._

_I look at my hands. Is this a dream? It has to be._

_Ritsu went with me. We both wanted to listen in... right?_

_"A-ah, I'll be over here then..." I looked back to Ritsu quickly, and saw him watching people having fun at some of the stands in sight before walking away._

_"Wait, Ritsu," I tug on his hand to bring him back to me. "We'll come here after the seminar."_

_"It's fine, Saga," I flinch at the name, remembering that this was us in high school. "I just want to look at them. I'll meet back with you."_

_I actually left after the seminar. Ritsu said he was going to check out the stands, so we parted ways._

_"Let's just go to the seminar first."_

_"Saga," Ritsu said, pulling away from me. He looked at me with concerned eyes. "Is something wrong? You're acting strange."_

_"No, nothing. Nothing's wrong." I grabbed his hand again. "Let's just go to the seminar."_

_He pulled away from me, his hands together and averted to the side. "Why do you want me to go so badly? I-I don't really want to see it anymore, I'm sorry..."_

_"Then I'll go with you," I compromised, before trying to reach for his hand again. But he cringed and stepped back._

_"W-we don't have to hold hands, do we?" He asks, rubbing his hands together. Did I hold them too tightly?_

_We've been walking and looking around for a while now and I feel... I feel as if..._

_"Ritsu?" How did I loose sight of him? Eventually I did get a glimpse of him, catching his panicked eyes as I did so._

_He was trying to get way from me._

_"Ritsu?" I went through the crowd trying to get to me. "Ritsu?!" I shout, halted by the unusual amount of people in the crowd. He kept getting farther and farther from me._

_And then I couldn't see him anymore._

Masamune shot up from bed, panting in shallow breaths as he felt around next to him in the dim morning sky for Ritsu. However, he found nothing but a vacant bedside gradually growing cold. "Ritsu?" He then felt around even more, looking under the covers and trying to see around the room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Ritsu?"

"Masamune?" He covered his eyes with a hand as the light was turned on, and after a few seconds he saw Ritsu looking back at him still in his pajama shirt but wearing pants. "What's wrong?" He went over to him on the bed to put a hand over on his forehead. "Is your fever back? I went to go buy milk since we ran out and I wanted to make you..." he trails off, looking Masamune in the eyes. "Did... did you get a nightmare again?"

"What time is it?" Masamune quietly asks instead of answering, reaching around him to hold him close.

"Almost 6. What was it about?"

The older kisses him on the cheek before nuzzling his temple. "We were in high school, that time we went to that fair."

"When we went to watch that seminar?" Ritsu questioned, pausing to remember. "Oh, we met Henmi that day, didn't we? He went with his grandfather and was from another school. Then we saw him after high school..." he laughs a little. "He remembered us when Takafumi introduced us, but we didn't remember him- I felt so guilty!"

"...What?" Masamune simply said, confused. "He was there?"

"Um... yeah," Ritsu replies, sure. "Takafumi wanted us to take notes for him because he got sick so we went. After you left I looked around the stands and found An and some of her friends so I ended up hanging out with them."

"What? Really?"

"I'm sure," Ritsu says, using his hand to push away Masamune's bangs from his forehead to feel how warm he was. "Are you sure you feel well? You seem out of it."

"I think my mind likes messing with me."

"Want me to make you tea instead of coffee?"

"No, it's fine."

* * *

A little before noon, Ritsu walked towards the new park Masamune had told him about, checking it out with Sorata by his side on his leash.

He was along a man-made pond when he heard shouting where it looked to be a half-constructed rock enclave with picnic tables. So he went to investigate, his curiosity increasing seeing what looked to be students from a school debating because he heard the word "Objection!"

 _'A class debate?'_ Ritsu wondered. He remembered helping out with one of Takafumi's when the latter asked him to play the witness.

"-then can you explain how the witness saw the victim falling when the geyser continued to spout directly in front of him... during the murder and after?!"

 _'The prosecutor?'_ The brunet guessed, watching as the sandy haired blond glared down the opposing table waiting for the other attorney's answer.

 _'A geyser...? Oh...'_ Ritsu's eyes lit up in interest. _'I think Takafumi did this for class one time... this is one of those activities that have either side experience winning and losing. Although, it matters more that they got the right person to convict.'_

 _'This one...'_ He tried to remember. _'The witness did it, right?'_

He couldn't watch it all the way though, as Sorata tugged him away upon chasing a dead leaf floating off the ground. That and he decided that it was getting too cold for him, opting to head for home.

...

"Almost home," Ritsu says to Sorata, who walked ahead of him. "I wonder though, can you take baths?" Sorata stopped, his ears twitching and his claws slowly drawn out as they grazed the pavement.

"I-I mean, it's not like you need a bath or anything..." Ritsu says, misunderstanding the feline's stopping. "You're a clean cat-" *clicks* At the sound, Ritsu was startled, glancing around to find no one. "H-huh?" Wary now, he resumes walking with Sorata, who he noticed now seemed to have changed his walking stance; it looked like he was ready to pounce on something.

It wasn't until he saw his apartment building ahead that he warily checked behind him to see that someone was indeed following him, stopping when he stopped. Swallowing some of his fear he turned left to head up towards the old park and the police station. When he reached the bottom right corner of the old park he went left to walk through it to get back to the plaza.

That clicking he heard earlier, was it a camera? Or a... Ritsu swallowed, a gun? His pace quickened. What he learned from reading about situations like this was that it was safer with more people around. What should he do after that though?

When he reached the plaza he turned, finally managing to see more in focus who was following him. He widened his eyes recognizing the man-woman from the other day, but they weren't in a police uniform anymore, just a black hoodie. He remembered the face and voice more than anything else, and he was sure it was the person. But why him?

Unless... was it the note? Ritsu automatically felt his pockets with one hand; he had given it to Takafumi. Did they think he still had it? But that also meant that the note was important right? Even though he himself didn't read it...

Sorata hissed suddenly, and Ritsu widened his eyes seeing the man-woman-person get closer to them. So, picking the cat up into his arms he then began into a quick walk before running.

The trial, was it happening now? Ritsu's mind began churning, wondering if he could somehow make it to the courthouse.

* * *

About ten minutes in, Ritsu supposed, he felt so tired. What was going to happen now? In a split-second decision he entered the closest building with Sorata in his arms.

Being careful in making sure the person wouldn't catch him he ducked behind a group heading into the elevator. As it closed, he flinched when the person caught eyes with him (having entered the building) and glared. ' _They know I'm here, what do I do now?'_ He thought, slumping a little against the side of the elevator, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from the workers. Sorata yawned, meowing and nosing Ritsu's chest.

The elevator stopped after a moment, and only one person got off. Hesitantly, Ritsu got off as well, not expecting what lay before him.

...

Gingerly, Ritsu stepped over the fallen bodies, wondering what was happening on this floor. Books and papers were everywhere, and the fallen smelled so much of body odor and defeat.

He found himself finally away from that part of the floor to where some more alive people were. _'Phew...'_

"Meow."

"A-ah, sorry Sorata," Ritsu whispers quietly to him, petting his ears.

"Oh, are you fan?" He yelped seeing a tall, light haired man beside him. "You have a convincing looking cat plush."

"Nnn-n-n-n-n-n-ngh..." Ritsu panicked, visibly trembling. It was obvious that the man knew Sorata was real.

"Are you looking for his desk? We're planning on clearing it out at the end of the month," the man shakes his head, "Poor guy." He leads Ritsu to a desk with candles and tons of farewell notes and pictures. "He was so devoted to his work."

"I... I see..." Ritsu managed to get out, looking at everything. _'Mr. Mori... the victim-'_ He froze seeing two picture frames up on a shelf away from the farewells. "Who are they?"

"Ah, those are his children and wife. His wife left him- that's all I know. The one on the left as you can see was years back, and the right... I think that was the most recent one without her." After that, the man left him to attend to something.

 _'...Fraternal twins?'_ Ritsu thought, piecing the person-man following him and the woman at that café. _'But then, that means Todou was fooled, and the twins switched back and forth at the police station? But why?'_

 _'Ah...'_ He struggled as he took out his cell phone in one hand, still tired. He managed to take a picture of the frames together though, and sent it to Takafumi. _'I hope he sees it...'_

*click*

Ritsu jerked and turned, pale as male of the twin pair caught him, pointing his gun. "I never would have thought a simple act of kindness would bite us in the back."

Ritsu held Sorata tight, the black and white feline hissing. "W-when you helped me?"

"That man... I wondered how he got that note. You figured it out after you read it and gave it to him, didn't you?"

"...? I-I didn't read it." Ritsu states hesitantly, understanding that he was talking about Takafumi. "I just gave him it."

"What...?" The twin frowned.

"Y-your sister... she wasn't there so Todou helped me home. I never read the note, I just put it in my pocket until I was told about the murder... I-I just wanted to help..."

"..." Ritsu cringed at the gun clicked again, wondering if he was going to get shot as the twin growls, "Koriko wasn't there?!"

"You didn't know?" Ritsu fearfully asked, yelping as he fell to the side trying to dodge as a shot rang in the air. As he hit the ground, Sorata shook himself before baring his fangs at the opposing man. Quickly, the brunet tried to get up and get to him. "Sorata, no," he brought the cat into his arms, scrambling away as the twin came closer to him.

"That man... made a grave mistake, not making you testify. A simple note won't make it far enough."

"That's not t-true..." Ritsu hugged Sorata closer. "If that's the case, then why do you want to kill me?" He widened his eyes when he saw that the light haired man from earlier was slowly sneaking up on the twin.

"Because when he sees that grave mistake, he'll call for you. But he won't now," he grips his gun firmly, "Since there won't be a witness to call, the only valid proof to go with the note that there was another person involved with the murder."

"I-I couldn't even testify if I wanted to!" Ritsu blurts, much to the twin's confusion. Ritsu adds in a smaller voice, "My husband wouldn't want me to. He wants me safe and not involved..." _'Though I ended up here because I helped only a little...'_ "Wait!" Ritsu remembers the picture frames on the desk shelves. "You killed your own father?!"

"You only figured that out now?" The man asked, astounded. "We took our mother's last name when she left us." He glared at the thought of his father. "It was his fault she left us, alone in that big house! Never once he came to our graduations, our birthdays, and even when Mom died! We had no ones but ourselves! Only once in the past how many years he visited! Just once!"

"That's not true- he loved you two very much!" He points, trembling in hesitancy. "He has your pictures right-"

"Those are just stupid photos he took to show people that he 'had a life'," The twin sneers, glaring at the desk. The light haired man hid back behind another desk. "He didn't even know it was us before I killed him. He honestly thought we were just a pair of people wanting money from a famous man." He scoffs, "'How much money do you want? I'll pay anything, just don't kill me!' It was pathetic. I just hate that you know?" He shakes his head once. "People like him... Having children..." He aimed his gun straight at Ritsu's chest, at Sorata. "I hate them!"

Ritsu curled back, shielding Sorata with his arms. He trembles even worse when he saw that the twin really was aiming at Sorata in particular. "You know..." The twin comes closer, his eyes dead as they stared at Sorata, who snarled. "It always... amazed me... being jealous of little children... babies... pets... being so loved by their parents, owners..."

He continued. "That man I passed by earlier, thinking I was another fan... I saw him too the other day, with his little daughter. Even though he was one parent and worked just like my father... he still found time to be with her. And yet, our father..." He laughs, his tone low and his head and shoulders down and shaking. "He... he was never a father in the first place..."

"Koriko thought he had a chance," he began, turning back to Ritsu. The light haired man tried again to sneak up behind him. "She tried to calm him and get him remember us, that we were his children, his kin... It pissed me off so much when he yelled back at her, and she cried. He made her cry-" He didn't continue further as the light haired man grabbed him back into a head lock, the gun thrown away to the side when the twin was caught in surprise. "You...!"

"I always found it odd when I talked to Mori. He never seemed to answer me when I asked how his kids were," The light haired man tightened his grip. "But that doesn't excuse the fact that you killed him. Even I find myself mad at him now. I would never forget my daughter."

...

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Misaki says, grateful. Ritsu was lead by the light haired man back to the first floor while security got a hold of the twin. It surprised Ritsu when Misaki burst in with some policemen like he was going to be late. "I thought I was too late and..."

"It's okay, Misaki," Ritsu says, petting Sorata's ears. He gestured to the light haired brunet talking to one policeman. "He caught him before he could shoot us."

"Eh? Really?" Misaki approaches him and bows, "Thank you for saving our friend!" He hands him a card. "If you ever get in trouble, we'll help in any way we can!"

"Oh, thanks." He then hands Misaki a card. "Returning the gesture."

"..." Ritsu prodded Misaki seconds later, as the latter froze as he read the card. "Misaki? What's-"

"I know you!" Misaki stares at the man in amazement. "You're the head editor of Japun and you edit 'The Kan'!"

"He does?" Ritsu asks, and Misaki nods enthusiastically. When the head editor went away to answer more questions by the police, Ritsu turns to Misaki. "How did you know I was here?"

Misaki regards him sheepishly. "G-GPS."

"..."

"..."

"Huh?" _'He had me on his GPS?'_

"Sorry!" Misaki apologizes with a nervous laugh. "When I first got my phone I found out about that app so I put it in. Everybody's numbers I have are in there, in case I ever got lost. I'm still learning the map around here. When you sent that photo I wondered where you were cause you didn't say so I tracked you down. In the reflection of one of the pictures we saw Koriko's twin so I rushed out as fast as I could."

"I see... So, Todou's innocent?"

"Yep!" Misaki looked downcast for a moment. "But, I don't think he'll be happy for now. When I saw him in the defendant's chair when Mr. Takafumi got Koriko in a tight spot I think he felt betrayed. He really liked her."

"Ah..." _'He never expected this from her, and for her to have a twin too...'_

* * *

After dinner...

"Arrrrggghh..."

"I'm sorry, really!"

"AAaaarrrggghhhhhhh..."

"I'm sorry!" Ritsu said again, trying to get Masamune away from smothering his face against the couch cushion. "I'm very sorry! Please stop!"

"...You won't help them anymore?" Masamune says, his voice muffled. "Promise me you won't help them anymore."

"You know I can't promise you that! They're our friends!"

Masamune pressed his face further into the cushion. "AAaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh..."

"Masamune, please!"

"AAaaaaaaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh..."

"Masamune, I'm sorry! I'll try to make this up for you, honest!" That got him to stop.

"You'll make this up? Really?"

"Y-yeah..." Ritsu nodded, a little fearful as he swallowed and adds, "A-a-anything you want...?"

Masamune looked up at him, eyes wide. "Ritsu..."

They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time until Masamune sighed and pressed his face back on to the cushion. "AAAAaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh!"

 _'W-WHAT?!'_ Ritsu thought, flabbergasted. "Masamune?!"

"Ritsu," Masamune begins with his muffled voice, "You can't just give me that kind of ammo. At this rate, I'm gonna..."

"Masamune?" Ritsu was startled when the older pointed to their bedroom from his face down position.

"Go take a shower right now and get to bed. I can't look at you until then, or I'll..."

"I... I don't-"

"GO!"

"O-okay!" Ritsu rushed to the room in a fluster. After Masamune heard the door close, he let out a big sigh before hearing Sorata meow next to him from the couch's arm and reached up to pet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Case is closed. Next chapter is their Saturday together! Will... Will something happen? Who knows?  
> Masamune's trying to hold on as best as he can.  
> Yes, Zen and Shinobu made an early appearance, if any of you are wondering or guessing :p


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Here's their Saturday together!  
> Reading this, I feel that this is best for mobile in terms of pacing. On computer it sounds so rushed in my head to me... What do you guys think?

Since it was Saturday, Ritsu didn't bother waking up Masamune, watching the latter sleeping away quite peacefully. It brought a smile to brunet, and he realized that he never really took a picture of his husband like the way the older does to him. And right now, he thought his husband was very... cute. Taking his chance, Ritsu grabbed his cell phone from the side and went to camera, quietly clicking.

After that, he covered himself and his cell phone holding hand up with more blanket and looked through them, just in case Masamune woke up. When he was done he just lay where he was, closing his eyes for more time in the warmth seeing that it was still early morning.

...

Opening his eyes Masamune stared up at the ceiling, his lips together in a thin line. He was having a good dream until it changed, and while it wasn't nightmare he didn't like it.

He really had to talk to his mother-in-law about things later.

While Masamune felt he didn't deserve Ritsu, he felt he could be at least worthy to. He remembered that day in the hospital, where Ritsu and him both conveyed that they don't do enough for each other. Honestly, he felt Ritsu gave him more credit than he deserved...

Turning on his side to his love, he smiled softly at the slumbering brunet. The blanket was up to his chin and Ritsu himself had the sides of his lips turned up in a tiny smile.

"I wonder what you're dreaming about," Masamune whispered, running a gentle hand through his husband's hair. "You sleep so deeply..."

Ritsu mumbled incoherently as if to answer, nuzzling more into his pillow as he brought up his hands. When Masamune went to hold their hands together, his brows raised curiously seeing the cell phone and finding the screen turned on the camera. When he found the pictures he smiled. "Taking pictures of me?" He chuckles quietly, using one arm to bring the brunet close to him. "Let's take one together."

* * *

Sunlight streamed though the window on Ritsu's face, and the latter turned uncomfortably until he sleepily sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he then gazed around and realized it was probably the afternoon now. The smell of cooking registered to him, and he got up to walk out of the room.

He found Masamune sitting on the table in the kitchen, sipping some coffee and looking through a newspaper. The older looked up through his reading glasses and snickered affectionately at Ritsu's bed hair. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Ritsu yawns. "It's still morning?"

"Almost 11. You hungry? I fried some small fish and made toast."

"Oh okay," Ritsu mutters, before rubbing his eyes as he walked back to their bedroom. Masamune chuckles, noting that the brunet still seemed to be sleepy.

...

"So this is the new park?" Masamune says, looking around the premises. "Not bad."

"The trees are going to be so pretty when spring comes," Ritsu comments, and at that he looked over at him, the latter watching Sorata stand up a little on his back legs to put his front paws on the base of a close by tree.

 _'Spring huh?'_ Masamune thought, remembering a particularly good dream that he had at work after unintentionally dozing off while looking through something. In that dream, they were being wed with cherry blossoms everywhere. Ritsu was smiling so beautifully and looked so handsome in his white tux...

"Masamune?" He was brought out of his reverie, and saw that they had arrived to a bench and Ritsu was waiting for him to sit. Sorata simply looked around curiously while he sat next to Ritsu's feet. When he sat, there was a moment of silence before Ritsu spoke. "An, she wanted the wedding in the summer after the baby is born, right?"

"Yeah," he answers, wondering what more Ritsu wanted to say. "She wants us with them up there so we can 'get married' again."

"Do you think... it would be okay if we don't do that?" Masamune looked at him, surprised. "I-I mean, weddings like these, it's best to focus on one couple right? Also, I kind of don't want a lot of people we barely know come up to us and stuff... Since you know, we haven't been really interacting with more people in a long time..."

"That's..." Masamune had to admit Ritsu had a point. "So then, do you still want a wedding? Later?"

"Y-yeah, later... Or just a small party, I don't really mind. I just want us to have adjusted better by then, and make more friends and-" Ritsu pauses. "Wow, we both don't have much relatives do we?"

"I remember you said you had cousins on your mother's side."

"I haven't seen them since I was little. After Dad died, she split us from the family. We just hang out with An's side of the family when they visit."

"Why the split? He died from a car accident, right?"

"Yes... but maybe..." Ritsu furrows his brows in thought. "I don't... I don't think I really know. She cut us away from everybody... even my Dad's closest friends and distant relatives. She told me that we can't talk to them anymore. They never once contacted us anyway since then, so it's alright."

"Well, as long as we can do everything and the honeymoon, I'm good." Masamune clasps their hands together. "Where would you want to go?"

"The honeymoon?" Ritsu questioned, flushing faintly. "Anywhere is fine, right? As long as we have a good time..."

"Do you want to go sight seeing anywhere? Or maybe just stay in a nice hotel and-" he whispers into Ritsu's now reddened ear.

"T-t-t-t-that..." Ritsu stammers out seconds later, blushing madly. "W-we can't possibly... stay so long..."

"You'd be surprised," Masamune says quietly, wrapping an arm around him. "I want to show you how much I love you-"

"Y-you know I know that you... and that I-"

"Oh, I know I know, but," he brings Ritsu's hands to cradle his face. "It's been so long, and we'll actually be able to celebrate us being together, after all these years. I know we're not that old but we missed out on a lot."

"When you say it like that it does sound like we are," Ritsu laughs, finding himself swiping his thumbs up Masamune's cheeks to the curves of his eyes. He pauses hesitantly in his motions. "I-It is okay if I do this, right?"

"Of course," Masamune murmurs, gaze softening, "Does it look like I don't want you to?"

"We're in public so," Ritsu lowered his voice to a whisper, "No one isn't looking, are they?"

Masamune glanced around quickly, "Not a soul- well, Sorata is, kind of."

"Sorata?!" Ritsu pulled away and looked down at the feline, sitting patiently, although his tail action said otherwise. "I'm sorry! You want to start walking again huh?"

...

After lunch time rolled around, Ritsu and Masamune lay closely side by side on the couch. Masamune absentmindedly rubbed his foot against Ritsu's closer one. "You remember when you told them about us getting married?"

"Yeah..." Ritsu began sheepishly, "An was the only one in the house who knew. Why?"

"Your mother just drank her tea without saying anything."

"Y-yeah..." Ritsu wasn't sure he wanted to remember this so vividly.

"I want to try talking to her, but... she seems to really hate me. More than Kazuto."

"I don't think she..." Ritsu faltered. "I don't understand it either... Do you want to go visit them now?"

"Now? No," Masamune quickly answers, "Not yet. Do you think she'll let up on Christmas?"

"Maybe... but," Ritsu grabs his hand, "If she doesn't though, it's okay. You both don't need to force yourself."

"No, I want to do this. She's technically my second mother, and I at least want to be on good terms with her. Do we have anything in common?"

"Ah, w-well..." Ritsu thought hard before shyly replying, "You both love me?"

Masamune chuckled at that, before he trailed off and his brows furrowed in realization.

That's right. They both loved him, albeit differently. He remembered back then in high school, when he commented on how sheltered Ritsu seemed to be. That was when the younger told him about how his mother was when it involved going out, and curfews.

_"I don't want to worry her. She doesn't want to lose me in any way after my father died. If it eases her..."_

Was that it? When Ritsu introduced him for the first time, that was it. Things wouldn't be the same. Ritsu would be with another person, not visiting often, living his own life...

The way she just wordlessly drank tea back then, was she actually trying to calm herself? They way she ignored him so, was that her way of not dealing with the one person that took away her son? Not to mention the fact that when he came up a week after the accident that he tried his hardest to take care of Ritsu by himself. It was when Masamune was working and after he took care of Ritsu for the day that the family would come visit.

Others told him to leave Ritsu's care to her, but he wouldn't allow it. He didn't want anybody but him to care for Ritsu, and some help from a few nurses. His selfishness drew her away further from her son.

What could he do now? How could he make up for all these years? Anything but let Ritsu go.

"What's wrong?" He turned his head to look at Ritsu, who set his head against his. "You just went quiet."

"I owe your mother a huge apology. You never wanted her to worry for you, but I did by keeping her away."

"Masamune, it's n-"

"It is my fault. You don't have to say it's not."

"She wasn't the only one worried for me though." Ritsu released their hands to pat his cheek. "I don't think she holds it against you that you want to have full responsibility over me."

"But you're her only son. She always tried to keep you safe and I ruined that. I put you in many painful situations."

"I did too, Masamune... That one time in high school-"

"It wasn't your fault. What I did made you misunderstand."

"What about that other time shortly after my graduation-"

"Those girls just wanted to start something because of that one guy- not your fault."

"But because I got you involved they accused you of many things. And then, what had happened because of my carelessness, I couldn't wake up when I was supposed to. I left you hanging for three years, and now you have nightmares and-"

"But consciously, that wasn't your fault either. You didn't mean for all that to happen." He sighs, "Oh Ritsu..." before turning all the way and embracing him. He buried his nose in Ritsu's hair near behind his ear close to his neck.

Eventually, he asks in a whisper, "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"You're not," Ritsu breathes trying hard not to let out a laugh; Masamune's breath was tickling the side his neck now. "You're a-awake."

"Why did you say it like that?" Masamune questions, not moving. "Something funny?"

"Your breath is tickling me right now," he cranes his neck away slightly, and opted to shift the rest of his body next to Masamune more comfortably. Facing him like before, Ritsu simply lay and they stared at each other in silence...

That is, until Masamune spoke. "Are you okay with me doing that to you and all?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ritsu asked, confused with this turn of events.

"You never complained until now, so I just wondered..."

"It really did feel ticklish this time," the younger replies, feeling sheepish. "I'm really okay with what you do, honest. I'm getting used to it... a little bit."

"Even back then, you always tense or," Masamune says, reaching a hand over to move some of Ritsu's hair behind his ears. Right when he touches him Ritsu reddens faintly and becomes still. "See? You can relax you know."

"I-I know! I can do that when we're about to go to sleep or in the morning but at times like these I can't bring myself to-" Masamune grabs both sides of his face. "...W-what?"

"Breathe in and out..." Masamune encourages, guiding their faces closer to each other with the intention of kissing him.

"I can't do that!" Ritsu panics, wanting to look away out of embarrassment. He couldn't, however, due to the hands holding his face firmly yet gently. "Not when you're lo-"

"Ritsu, I'm always going to be looking at you, watching you... look at me," he pleads, seeing that Ritsu was shutting his eyes. "I know you said you didn't fall in love with me for my looks, but is something about my face bothering you?"

Ritsu opened his eyes at that to look back at him. "N-no... I..." he averted his eyes to the side, and Masamune tried to tilt his face so Ritsu couldn't escape him. "It's... embarrassing," he confesses, "And, my chest... it's beating too fast and I don't think I can compose myself. At the hospital when you looked at me I even started tearing up! I'm not-"

"Ritsu." Masamune cut in, patting one his cheeks softly, "How do you think I'm feeling right now? Or when I come home to see you, or when we wake up together- my heart is beating fast too. And you know, we've done more embarrassing things." Ritsu re-flushes remembering what they did on Takafumi's couch. "Also, it's okay if you want to cry- I've cried plenty of times too you know. I'll be here and dry them for you," he adds, swiftly kissing at the sides of Ritsu's eyes.

"You don't have to..." Ritsu says, almost in a whisper, "I couldn't be there to dry yours."

"No, you were there. You couldn't dry them physically, but..." he manages to get in eye contact with Ritsu and smiles. "You made me feel much better."

"Really?"

"Really," Masamune repeats in honesty. He then gazes fondly into Ritsu's eyes. "I'm serious."

Swallowing, Ritsu tries his hardest to stare back, his heart threatening to burst. He could feel tears involuntarily beginning to form, and closed his eyes when Masamune kissed them away. Before they could actually kiss they are startled out of their intimate bubble of two when the distinct sound of someone opening their front door was heard. Sorata walked out from under the coffee table to the door in curiosity.

"Who's that?" Ritsu whispers, suddenly wary; Takafumi would normally call before coming in with his copy key.

"I don't know," Masamune whispers back, letting go of Ritsu's face and helping him sit up properly on the couch. As they did that, they were surprised to see An rush into the apartment.

"We kept knocking, but you guys wouldn't answer and we heard voices. I got worried something happened!"

 _'Oh yeah, we gave her the other copy key...'_ Ritsu and Masamune remembered in unison.

"What did you come here for, An?" Masamune asks, stretching back a little.

"You two didn't start any dinner plans, did you?" An says, a little two hopeful. "Want to come eat with us? This restaurant we normally go to, they're doing a special and we thought that we could treat you guys tonight. We all never went to dinner together before either, so..." she rounds on Ritsu with her puppy dog eyes.

"You want us to go that badly?!" Ritsu says in surprise; An hasn't done this to him since in high school when she wanted him to help her pay for this dress she was dying to get.

"Well, if you two are paying..." Masamune trails off, exchanging glances with Ritsu. He then heads to get their coats. "Let's go."

"Yes!" An says, victorious. She grabs Ritsu's hands. "We also want to talk to you guys about something."

* * *

"There's a lot of people here..." Ritsu comments, straying close to Masamune.

"Ah, this is actually normal for a night like this," Kazuto says, looking ahead for an available host to seat them. "Some of them aren't even here to eat."

"What? Why?" Masamune asks.

An answers for him. "Cause they want to hear some of the staff and other people sing. That's how I met Kazuto. He had to choose someone to sing after him and he picked me when I was with my friends."

Ritsu frowns a bit. "I asked how you two met at the hospital and all you did was laugh."

"Sorry!" An flushes. "I did that too when I told it to Mom and Dad."

Kazuto ducks his head in embarrassment. "I tossed her the mic and it hit her in the face while also knocking her drink over."

"When he tried to come over and help me he tripped," An laughs, "I can remember hearing his friends laugh so loudly."

"It was so embarrassing!" Kazuto cries, "That was when Kai brought Kou with him for the first time and he used to think I was so cool before then!"

"Kou?" Ritsu says, remembering the young man that seemed to sparkle when they were visiting An last, and faintly remembering the older man who sparkled just as much.

"Yeah, he's Kai's little brother. Since Kou's attending university now we've been seeing a lot of him."

"I thought he seemed younger than the rest of us." Masamune says, before the host gets their attention and tells them to follow.

...

"Rittie." An starts, pausing for a moment as their food was brought to them before continuing. "I know we're not related by blood, but you really are a brother to me. Even when I went through that phase when we were little you'll always be my good friend."

"Ah..." Kazuto snickers. "'The phase.'"

"What phase?" Masamune says, looking between the three.

"Oh!" Ritsu remembers. "It was when our parents married each other- someone said it would be nice if we got married, and An started clinging to me and following me everywhere. It got so bad she started pushing girls our age at the playground and I yelled at her."

"Rittie hardly yelled at me, so I cried a lot until Daddy took us home." She sighs. "Rittie ended up feeling guilty and shared his dessert with me."

"You cried for so long I thought I broke your throat! And I never had a sister until then so I didn't really know what to do."

"I wish I had a sibling like you two..." Kazuto says, his voice dreamy. "I'm so glad I have a brother now though, technically! Ritsu, let's go to the park next year all together and I'll give you a ride on my back!"

"...What?" Ritsu shakes his head. "N-No thanks!" It was hard to imagine himself doing that with his in-law.

"Ooh," Kazuto looks down dejectedly, before looking at Masamune with some hope. "How about y-"

"No way in hell."

"Ooh..." He blubbers incoherently and gazes teary eyed at An. "I feel so sad..."

"Aww, don't be! You can do that with the baby when she gets old enough."

"But it won't be the same!" He gets up and heads off. "I'm going to sign up and sing my sorrows out!"

After laughing at his quick leave, An turns back to them. "We sort of went off subject didn't we? What I wanted to talk about with you guys was that I wanted you to name our daughter, if that's alright."*

"What? Are you sure?" Ritsu says, awed. "What about your friends?"

"Ritsu, you're my closest friend!" She smiles. "I know you've been asleep but I assure you my other friends aren't as close to me as you are. I really want you to name her. Our next child, Kazuto wants Kai to name them."

"..." Ritsu looks to Masamune for guidence, and the latter puts his hand on his head to get him to nod to An.

"Yes," Masamune answers for him, "I'd love to name her."

Ritsu then nods on his own after Masamune lets go. "Y-yes..."

"Ahh, I feel so relieved!" An says, a hand over her stomach. "Have as much time as you need before she is born. She's going to have such great uncles!"

"An..." Ritsu begins seconds later, and he and Masamune look to each other before face her again. "Can I-we ask you something?"

"Hmm? What?"

"Is it okay... if we don't get 'married' with you guys? We decided we want to do ours later."

"Huh?!" She looks between them. "Why?"

"We just want some more time."

"But..." She frowns. "It's been so long since you two got together."

"I know, but..."

Masamune continues for him. "We want to get used to everything right now, living together and learning more about each other-"

"Making up for lost time," An assumes correctly, understanding. "I see..." She then looks up at them, determined. "But I can help plan for you guys' wedding, can I?!"

"Of course," Ritsu says, looking down at his food occasionally having remembered that it was going to get cold soon. "When the time comes."

"I really want cherry blossoms," Masamune states, staring at Ritsu until the latter's cheeks are tinted pink.

"Spring then...?" An says, sure to write that down later. "Rittie, will you still walk with Daddy and I down the aisle?"

"Yes."

"Good then, it's settled!" She cheers, satisfied. "Daddy was okay if we did a more American styled wedding as long as we still go through the shrine ceremony. We were planning on doing that at the start though, so I wonder what Daddy was thinking..."

"What about Mom?"

"She's okay with everything, but she doesn't really like to talk about it. She's mostly concerning herself with my health and the baby. I think she's also wondering when you're going to come visit; sometimes I'll see her look at your pictures on the wall once in a while."

"I'll come visit soon. We coming over for Christmas so..."

Suddenly, Kazuto's voice went through the air.

_"The sky we saw that day, the crimson sky... Hey, do you remember?_   
_We made a promise, wrapped in the early summer breeze... the two of us huddled clossseeee!"_

"He really likes singing songs like these," An comments, smiling over at him.

* * *

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Masamune asks, waiting for Ritsu to join him in bed. Sorata had made himself comfy at the end of the bed.

"We don't really have to do anything in particular. We can just play with Sorata and walk him," Ritsu sighs, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. "Health and exercise."

Chuckling, Masamune wraps an arm around him. "Want to get stronger and carry more stuff huh?"

"Of course. Just think, maybe someday I'll be able to carry you a little!"

"Barely an inch off the ground?" Masamune laughs as Ritsu bats him playfully.

"When I do get to be able to carry you a little though, you wouldn't have to hold back anymore." Masamune froze, acutely aware as Ritsu hugged himself closer to get comfortable. "I'll be able to get you to bed if you suddenly get sick or knock out. And we could do more things together without me getting too tired really quickly."

"Then we have a lot to work on don't we?" The older breathes, tucking Ritsu's head under his chin.

"Mm-hmm," Ritsu hums, before blowing softly up at the neck in front of him.

Masamune pulled their heads back, laughing once. "What did you do that for?"

"See? It gets ticklish," he mumbles, referring to what happened earlier.

All he received was a soft laugh in return before he was tucked back snugly under Masamune's chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Sorry this took a while! I just kept staring at this because I was unsure about some things.  
> *Naming their daughter in this sense means Ritsu will be her godfather. What will he name her?
> 
> I don't own those translated to English lyrics. The song is Uso by SID.  
> Next chapter is the next weekend now! How will Ritsu's picture getting go? How will Masamune's mother react to Ritsu?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Sorry this is sort of late! I got back into this game and I jacked up my sleeping schedule again to sleeping from 6-7AM to 5-6PM.  
> We're babysitting our cousins' dogs too and man, we sort of jacked up their eating schedule too. But they have become more lively though since there's a bunch of kids here (our cousins are in their late 20s early 30s and our Aunt and Uncle mostly take care of them and they're in their mid-late 50s).

Masamune groaned as he got up and stared around his bedroom. At 8, he had to meet Shin at train station. When they should arrive at Fukuoka, they were to check into the hotel and then head off to meetings and presentations. Then on Saturday it was even more meetings and a dinner party... check out of the hotel Sunday morning...

And two nights without Ritsu.

"Augh..." He collapsed back into the mattress before turning to a sleeping Ritsu.

He was not sure if he wanted to wake him up. It would mean looking into those green eyes and saying bye for two nights and...

Unwillingly he got out of bed, heading to the bathroom to get ready.

When he was done he gathered everything he needed in his medium-sized suitcase and headed out. Not before ruffling Ritsu's hair and kissing him on the forehead, fondly brushing back the brunet's bangs.

"See you..." Masamune whispers, turning away to head to the front door. He stopped when he heard a soft rustle of sheets.

"Masamune...?" Came Ritsu's sleepy voice. "It's time already?" He turned to see Ritsu sitting up and yawning. "I wanted us to eat together."

"Sorry. I thought I should let you sleep more."

"No, it's fine. But... Are you okay?" Ritsu asks, seeing that Masamune was facing out the bedroom. "Here, let me give you my pillow." Masamune hesitantly turned around and went to him, grabbing the pillow when it was handed to him. He stilled when Ritsu got up to hug him. "I'll miss you."

Masamune swallowed at those words, embracing him tightly while holding Ritsu's pillow as well. "I'll miss you too," he says, shutting his eyes and making them fall back on the bed. "I don't want to leave."

"Masamune," Ritsu berates him lightly, "You'll be okay."

"Not at night. You won't be there."

"We'll talk all night on the phone then, until you fall asleep or I will."

The older chuckles dryly against Ritsu's hair. "You're going to fall asleep before me."

"No! I'll try to stay up the best I can!"

"I will trust you to that then," Masamune moves off of him and kisses his temple. "Stay safe."

...

It was strange waking up alone. Ritsu stared at the empty space next to him before finally getting out of bed. Seeing the room so naturally lit up he can see that it was probably almost high noon.

"Meow."

"Good afternoon, Sorata," Ritsu greets softly, reaching down to stroke the feline's ears before heading in the bathroom to wash up.

He supposed that today, maybe he could get ahead start on his search.

* * *

 _'She moved back here from Shikoku around the time I got into a coma,'_ Ritsu remembers about her address information that Takafumi helped him find, _'Her reputation as an attorney...'_ He looks down at the address again on his cell phone. _'They say she never takes a break, but Takafumi told me she had re-married so how does she spend time with her husband now?'_

The neighborhood he found himself in was pretty nice, and safe. Ritsu looked behind him once, nervous a little at the thought of being followed again like last time. A few minutes into the neighborhood he saw that they had a tiny park with some swings, a slide, and a sandbox. He remembered when An and him played together in a setting such as this, until her- their father took them home.

 _'Oh,'_ he spotted a little girl playing on the edge of the sandbox by herself. Besides her the little park was empty. _'She's here all alone?'_ When they locked eyes he quickly averted and went on, hoping she didn't think he was some creepy guy or something. Her parents were probably watching from their house.

Walking past that, he looked down at the address on cell phone again and up at the houses. _'Almost there. It said she has lunch at home so maybe I'll make it... Maybe I should have made an appointment? But that sounds very costly...'_

When he did make it, he hesitated at the door. _'W-what should I say? I... I didn't realize I'd make it so far!'_

He jolts when the door suddenly opens, revealing a woman in probably her 50s...? She automatically faces to where Ritsu had arrived him, the direction of where the small playground was. "Aiyuri! I'm leaving now, and I made rice so you can..." she trails off seeing Ritsu, and frowns. It faintly reminded Ritsu of Masamune. "Who are you?"

"O-Oh! I-I'm um..." he bows frantically. "I'm Onodera Ritsu, a-and I w-w-wanted to ask you something..." he faltered inside, wondering if he was going to make it out okay. "About... Ma.. Masamune..." He glanced up hesitantly to see her stare at him in unconcealed shock.

"How..." She straightens her posture back, and Ritsu looks down as Kotoko narrows her eyes at him. "How do you know about him?" Seconds later she catches the ring on his finger and her eyes widen. "You..."

"Come in," Ritsu looks up in surprise, following in quickly and taking off his shoes when she tells him again in an impatient tone. Inside, she tells him to sit down somewhere and he chooses the dark loveseat closest to the entrance. The older woman comes back with some tea and sits across from him in another loveseat. He fidgets at her calculated stare. "I haven't heard his name since the day he left. What is your relationship with him?"

 _'She knows she knows!'_ Ritsu panics inwardly, guessing so from her stare, _'So why is she asking me?!'_ "I-I'm his husband."

"...Evidence."

"Huh?"

"How do I know if you are? You could be some stalker for all I know." He jolts back, an imaginary arrow stabbing figuratively through him.

 _'Is this a test?!'_ He swallows and looks down at this ring, seeing that it probably wasn't enough for her. Remembering his phone he takes it out of his pocket and goes to hand it to Kotoko, albeit a little shakily. "H-here... In the pictures." _'I have mostly the ones of him sleeping, but that's proof we live together and everything right?'_ He hasn't looked through it since last weekend, but he was sure that, that was what most of the pictures were. _'I also took some of Sorata...'_

The brunet watched her as she went through them, her brows even and her eyes seeming unimpressed. However, at one point, her brows raised slightly, and she continued to look at whatever picture she was looking at in surprise. "..."

 _'What is it?'_ Ritsu wondered. _'Is she looking at the one with Sorata? Takafumi sort of had a look like that when I showed him some of Sorata's pictures. He didn't know Sorata was capable of spreading the yarn so far off from the living room to the kitchen...'_

"So..." he startled at her suddenly quiet voice. "He can have that kind of expression..."

"...?" He is handed back his cell phone.

"What did you want with me?" She looks up at the clock on her wall. "I have an appointment soon."

"Ah! I-I was wondering if I can have his baby pictures, or when he was a child," he then explains, "We were talking about when we were little and I wanted to see if he had any... Since-"

"He wouldn't come here on his own," she finished for him, standing up.

"No, no! I mean..." Ritsu fidgets with his hands a little. "He told me not to get him a birthday or Christmas gift, or at least not work or pay for a gift, so I thought I would at least do this for him..."

Her brows furrow. "You don't work?"

"I.. I plan to, later... I woke up from a coma a few months back and he wanted me to take it easy but..."

"I see." She heads off towards her hallway. "I think its up in the attic. I'll go get it."

"Okay..." he sat back in the loveseat and waited, listening to the soft thumping of footsteps above him as his mother-in-law searched through her stuff.

About 6 minutes later, she returned with two skinny books and one small album. "I believe I only managed to take at least one baby picture, and some when he entered elementary. Even then I was busy with work. These two are yearbooks, I think." She hands them to him and rushes out with her briefcase. "Feel free to leave after you look over them."

"Tha-" he stills hearing the unintentionally loud slam of the door. _'I hope I didn't make her too late...'_ He gazes down at the album and yearbooks. _'I have them now...'_ He hugged them to his chest and decided to make his leave; he was going to save the looking through it later until Christmas. He wanted to read it together with Masamune.

* * *

Masamune sat back as professionally as he could, bored. All the older doctors were doing during this presentation was arguing about their pharmacy system. Yes, he had his own view on that too, but he'd rather be home. Fukuoka was a nice place outside of this hotel, and he wondered then if maybe he could bring Ritsu down here on a trip someday.

"Takano," he doesn't turn to look at Shin but the man continues with a lowered voice. "One of the doctors here hosting is at the front and I think he's looking at you."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't care." He says back in almost a harsh whisper.

"Takano, I'm serious!" Shin whispers back, "I think he knows you from somewhere."

"I probably remind him of someone. Just ignore him," he adds, and claps along with everyone else as the presentation ended. "Can we leave now?"

"To your hotel room? Yes. To home? No." They walk out and Shin looks at his watch. "Some of the guys want me to go drink a little down at the bar here with them. Why don't you come with me? You can just eat dinner or something while you watch me slowly waste my ass off. I think some of them want to ask you questions too."

"About what?"

"Anything, I guess. Most of all these guys know each other and this is a good opportunity to talk with them you know? The more people you know, the more stronger you get."

"I have never heard of that."

"Well, you have now."

...

Masamune couldn't help but feel a little bit thankful for Shin. The man just kept talking, and he got to eat in peace while Shin... he just kept _talking_. Somewhere in the back of his head though, he felt that someone was looking at him, but he ignored it. While he ate, he gazed at his cell phone, the screen on as Ritsu texted him a picture of a wrapped box and ' - Your Christmas gift!' He gave a small smile and sighs, texting back to him.

Since his birthday was well, his birthday, he had told Ritsu not to plan anything like a party because he himself had planned something.

During the past month back in the hospital while Ritsu was being helped by Misaki, he had gotten out to get a driver's license. He knew Ritsu hadn't been in a car for a long time either, so he hoped Ritsu would be okay if they went out for a drive.

If Ritsu just wanted to stay home though it would be okay. They could spend his whole birthday at home, just the two of them together- staying in bed all day and staring at each other. Alone.

Okay, not just stare at each other. A little kissing a little touching...

Masamune paused in his eating, feeling a little bit excited at the prospect. It has been a long time since he got really, really intimate with Ritsu. Last week was close until they were interrupted. There are so many things he wanted to make happen with Ritsu.

 _'That's right...'_ Masamune texts back Ritsu as he continued his thinking, _'We never did any of those anniversary celebrations, and we're a decade in...'_ he remembers faintly the old couple behind him on the train talking about their own anniversary, _'Should we go to dinner? Or somewhere nice like the hot springs...'_

 _'Cooking together?'_ He smiled thinking of it, seeing that Ritsu hesitated less and less about being fed and feeding him. And yet with the hesitancy disappearing Ritsu always seemed somewhat shy about it, which was adorable. Admittedly, he actually felt flustered inside whenever Ritsu tried to feed him things when they go out eating. Masamune was grateful that they got to this point in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Second part later, I'll try to get to it ASAP! This is Friday to night, next chapter is Saturday to Sunday!  
> I figured Masamune and Ritsu's parents are somewhere in their 50s... feels that way. Yeah, the picture Kotoko was looking at was the one Masamune took without Ritsu's knowing.  
> It's so weird... Ritsu has in-laws. But I don't find it weird that Masamune has in-laws. Hm...  
> A strange feeling... Did she accept Ritsu? Does it really matter though, since she wasn't a good parent? Does she care, does it seem that way? Will she make the same mistake again?  
> *cries* I want to try writing close to M but I'm so scared D"X as they say practice practice but I... OTL Fear of the practice and attempt.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)Second part! If you missed the first part, go back a chapie!  
> Planning the third case for this is kind of funny. Ahh... Trifecta. Date dining. Stalking. Stealing.  
> ...Murrrrrder.  
> Or... Murder(s) dun!dun!dun!  
> XD I mean }:( Murder is bad. Don't do it. Please. Maybe there won't be a murder- plot twist.  
> Ah, sorry... Okay, just read. I feel hyper.

_"Promise me?" Ritsu smiled up at his father, bringing up his pinky finger._

_"I promise-" he cut off laughing as his father brought him up on his shoulders; he can see his mother smiling close by, and faintly he felt like she had something to say but didn't._

_His father let out light laughter. "I'll be looking forward to that day, Ritsu!"_

_..._

"A promise?" The brunet mumbles as he gets up. _'What did I promise to Dad?'_ He looked to the empty side of the bed in habit. _'It's Saturday...'_

 _'Sorata has to go back to Takafumi soon...'_ He numbly eyes around the quiet apartment, save for Sorata's soft stepping of his padded paws.

Ritsu takes his cell phone from his side's nightstand and goes to Masamune's number. _'He should be awake now, right?'_

* * *

Amber-brown eyes peeked open as the alarm ringtone woke him, and eventually focused to see just white. He groaned sitting up, taking his cell phone into his to turn it off. After he did he simply remained sitting up and yawned, running a hand through his unruly dark hair.

"Mm..." He brought up Ritsu's pillow to his nose, breathing in the familiar sweet scent. Oddly, he didn't have a nightmare at all. He simply slept and breathed and woke up. It was somewhat refreshing.

A soft vibration from his cell phone caused him to look, smiling when he saw that it was Ritsu. "Hello?"

"Good morning! I didn't end up waking you early, did I? Cause-"

"No," Masamune cut in, abruptly, getting out of bed. "I just woke up, and getting ready. Are you eating breakfast?"

"Ah, I'm still here in bed. I woke up a few minutes back. I-I thought I'd call..."

"What are you going to do today?" Masamune asks, heading into the bathroom.

"I'm going to walk Sorata around, and I think I'll visit my mother. I had a dream I promised my Dad something when I was little, but I don't remember what." Ritsu pauses in is talking, and Masamune can hear rustling in the background; the brunet was probably getting out of bed. "You didn't have any nightmares, did you?"

"Nope. I just drowned in sleep. I can't believe I have to wait to leave here tomorrow morning instead of tonight though. It would be more easier if they just let us out after the dinner."

"Maybe they want to do a small send off in the morning? I'd like to think they have a valid reason."

"It better be. Tomorrow I should be home around 9:30, so go ahead and just sleep in okay?"

"What? Why? I could make you breakfast..."

"No, don't. I want to sleep too. We can just eat later."

"Oh, okay-" A beep intercepts, "It's An, Masamune."

"Okay, then we'll talk later. See you."

"B-bye... Have a good time."

* * *

"Sorata, you remember An and them right? You met them once," Ritsu says to the feline ahead of him, trotting along like he knew the area. _'He's such a good cat...'_

When he arrived at his old home's doorstep it opened for him as if automatically. "Ritsu!" Kazuto greets. Once Ritsu and Sorata went in, Kazuto grabs his free hand suddenly. "She talked to me!"

"You mean Mom?"

Kazuto nods frantically. "Yeah! It was so weird and exciting!"

"What did she say to you?"

"'Hand me the pepper over there will you dear?' I was so shocked!"

"I-I see..." Ritsu didn't have the heart to tell him it was probably cause the man was the only one near the pepper...

An had told him to come over so Kazuto wouldn't be alone with Mom, because she had to go somewhere with her father for some Christmas surprise ('Best to plan ahead!' An had said). And a part of her feared that they would come home and Kazuto would have 'magically' disappeared. It goes to say that their mother probably still didn't accept him yet wholeheartedly.

"Meow."

"Ah, Sorata!" Kazuto notices, picking up the cat gladly. "Remember me? I gave you that yarn for Christmas two years back!"

"Meow."

 _'That explains so much...'_ Ritsu thought, slipping away to find his mother in the kitchen. "Hi, Mom."

"Ritsu," the woman turned to him from the oven, smiling tiredly. "Thank goodness you're here," she goes to pat his cheeks. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine. Do you need help with anything?" he asks. He is guided to sit down on a counter chair.

"No thank you..." she pauses. "He... Kazuto has been a great help to me." The older woman gets out a set of bowls and places them near the stove. "He seems like a nice boy."

"Mom, he is! Why is that hard to believe?" Ritsu asks.

"It's not that it is hard to believe, just..." She sighs. "I find it hard to forgive their type."

"...What?" Ritsu says. _'Their..? Is she referring to Kazuto and Masamune?'_

"They remind me so much of the past," his mother grimaces, "When I look at them, it reminds me of the men your father used to befriend."

"Dad's friends?" Ritsu frowned. He could only recall being carried up high in arms that weren't his parents. "I don't really remember them..."

"You were so young then, I'm glad you don't. Even if they did dote on you." She frowns heavily at a memory. "I have never been fond of any yakuza..."

"..." Ritsu blinks. And blinks. "Yakuza?"

"Yes."

"...But," Ritsu stares at her carefully. "Masamune... Kazuto, they aren't yakuza. Not anywhere close-" They look in surprise as Kazuto crashes into the kitchen, Sorata still in his arms.

"You thought I was part of the yakuza?!" Kazuto asks loudly, shocked at this revelation. He goes close to her and bumps against her arms with Sorata's paws. "I'm a quarter Korean! I have no siblings and my mother co-owns a restaurant! My father's a principal of a high school and formerly a music teacher! I don't know how to work a gun and An outruns me at running! I'm a weak man!" He then huffs, exhausted.

Ritsu's mother stares at him with a deadpan expression. "I know that. Don't forget we met at your engagement party."

"O-oh..." Kazuto looks away, inching closer to Ritsu in fear and embarrassment.

She examines him with a glare. "Tall. Messy hair." Kazuto flinches. "Piercings-"

"Hold on!" Ritsu interrupts. "You got that all wrong, Mom! That's only their looks! You have to look past that!"

"And I don't have piercings anymore..." Kazuto adds, "I got rid of them after university..."

In a moment of silence Ritsu remembered that this was his mother, the woman who thought of his father as too much a gentleman and boring until she got to know him. A woman who loved his father very much.

A woman who judges at the first meeting and is reluctant to change her views. A worried woman who hates take-out and thinks anything not cooked at home is unhealthy. A mother that is distrustful of anyone that looked even close to connected to the yakuza or to being delinquent. She was assuredly his mother.

He faces Kazuto. "I'm so sorry for this. She likes you, really. She's just being shallow."

"Ritsu!" His mother, cringing back slightly at the look she was given from her son.

"You have been unfair, Mom! Say sorry to him. He is a nice guy and he loves An a lot!"

"..." They stared each other down until his mother sighs, turning to Kazuto. "I'm apologize," she begins reluctantly. "For not getting to know you as I should, and accusing you of being... one of _them_."

"I-it's okay..." Kazuto waving one of Sorata's paws. "I'm relieved you don't hate me for who I am. We were really worried you know?" She gives him a questioning look. "We want to be happy together, and we want you to be okay with us and happy too. It's no fun when we see you all to yourself and looking unhappy."

"..." She turns away from them, no doubt sulking and ashamed of her actions. "You two, making me feel like a child..."

* * *

His mouth felt like it wanted to run away. Masamune wasn't sure how long he could take; smiling felt good when it was towards Ritsu.

"Masamune-" He glanced around at the call of his name, but he didn't see anyone in particular addressing him close. Turning back to his front, he tried to find Shin; he needed to know if he could leave now to his hotel room. It has been three hours since this dinner started. Dinner can't last for that long, can it?

Faintly, he felt a hand brush his shoulder. But before he could turn, behind him he heard a man address someone. "Dr. Saga, it's been a while! How is your family?" He froze.

 _'Saga...?'_ Masamune his brows furrowed and he frowned; seeing Shin, he walked away from the men. He didn't want to look back.

 _'It wouldn't be him, would it? He isn't the only 'Saga' in Japan...'_ He felt his hand retreat into his pocket for his cell phone. _'God, I want to go home.'_

 _'What do I care anyway?'_ Masamune thought bitterly. _'He never cared, so I shouldn't. What would he even want to talk to me about?'_

 _'Family huh?'_ his eyes were now occupied by the food table. _'Since it's been some 10 years, his kids must be little. Are they going to end up like me? What if they're not his kids, like how I am?'_

He wasn't good with things like this. He hated feeling like this, not understanding these feelings. Last few times he yelled at Ritsu after holding it all in, and that wasn't fair to the brunet. This time though, it will be different right? He was an adult, and he should talk this out. Talk... talk... He gripped on to his cell phone.

"Takano!" He looked to Shin as the man approached him. "They're about to set us off to different rooms to drink. You can go back to your room if you want." Shin went in close. "I heard some of the doctors are leaving tonight, so I think staying until morning is an option now. You can go if you want." Masamune's eyes widen.

"I can?"

"Yeah." Shin pats him on the arm. "You did very well. Some of the ladies even want you to bring Ritsu next time."

"..." His mood darkened as fast as a light switch when he glared at Shin. "What?"

"Well, everybody wanted to see my coma patient that woke up! You don't get a lot of that, you know?" He elbows Masamune playfully. "They say he's quite the looker!" Masamune grit his teeth at the thought of Ritsu around the other women.

Because Ritsu wouldn't try to get away, Ritsu won't shoo them away or be mean. He would be a gentleman around them, and try to talk with them how ever much they wanted to talk to him- even if he wanted to get away. And Ritsu didn't understand how charm worked. He didn't know how to use it to get out of situations.

"I'd rather not come back here at all..."

"Too bad!" Shin says cheerfully. "You go when you have to! You did good today, so have a nice night!"

...

"You're coming home now?"

"Yeah," Masamune looks up at the passing train that wasn't his in the station. "You don't have to wait up though, okay? I'll join you in bed."

"Okay." He raised his brow at the light tone, wondering what Ritsu was keeping quiet about.

"Do you have something else to say?"

"Me? N-no..." He smiled at the try for innocent tone that came with those words. "Are you sure it's okay for you to leave?"

"Yeah, some of us are heading home now. Haitani said the stay overnight is optional."

"I see. I'm glad you made it out okay! Do you feel alright?"

"I do. Especially since I know I'm coming home to you."

"M-masamune..." The older man smiled softly, knowing that the other was blushing. "People can hear you."

"That doesn't matter. I wasn't talking to them."

"Don't you ever feel embarrassed?"

"All the time. You make me feel more nervous than anything." As Ritsu asked what he meant by that, there was a call for the passengers of the train he was to go on. "I have to go. See you."

...

 _'A few more hours...'_ Masamune thought tiredly, an hour in on the train. The doctor sitting next to him was sleeping now after telling him stories about fishing in Europe. Again, he felt a presence looking over at him, and he ignored it again. If it is indeed his former step-father, why was he just staring? _'Is he trying to make sure it's really me?'_ Sighing, he laid his head back and closed his eyes to rest.

_'Where am I going?'_

_Little Masamune looked up at the faceless passing of people. His hand was holding on to one._

_How much time has passed? They were at a playground now._

_His faceless parent leaves to sit on a bench, pushing him towards the sandbox. "Go play with the other kids. I need to do these papers."_

_Are you doing this for my benefit, or yours? ...He'd rather read at home in silence._

_Numbly he squatted in front of a sand mound, and stared at it. 'What could I do with this?'_

_"Higher! Higher!" Masamune looked up at the laughing voice. He watched as the little girl went back and forth on the swings, her father pushing her. Smiling. Laughing._

_"..." He looked back to his parent, who was solely focused on the papers._

_That's not fair. His young self stared back at the sand mound in front of him. 'How do you have fun with this?' He put his hand through it, the grainy particles slipping through his fingers. Eventually, he split the mound with his hands, flattening it along the rest of the sand. 'This isn't fun.'_

_"Oh, Are you going to make something?" He didn't look at the kid squatting down next to him. "I saw on TV that before they build a house they make everything flat and then build. What are you going to build?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"..." He senses that the boy next to him gets up. "I'll be right back!"_

_Masamune didn't say anything. When the boy came back, he peered curiously at the sticks and stones the boy brought back. "Mommy says I can use some water, and we have to wash our hands later."_

_'Wash our hands...?'_

_"So, what kind of house do you want to make? Or do you want to make something else? I like books, so I think I can make a book. What about you?"_

_"I like books." Masamune paused. "What do we need sticks and stones for?"_

_"To keep it up! Str... Structure, I think," the boy splits the sticks and stones between them, and places the water between them as well, in a small bucket. "Water keeps it together. I'll refill it when we run out."_

_After how many minutes, Masamune looked back at his... book wall. One part of a stick stood out towards the top end, and he added skinny imprints on the side to make it look like pages. He then looked over at his neighbors. "..."_ _It didn't seem like a book. If it was, then it was a really thick, short book. You can see rocks and some leafs of a stick out in jutting angles. "What is that?"_

_"It's a bunch of books together- Woah, you made a tall book! Aren't you afraid it's going to fall?"_

_"No." Young Masamune gazed back at his creation. It wasn't like he could take it home with him, so he wouldn't really miss it..._

_The boy was silent for a few seconds. "I think my Mommy wants to take a picture. Do you want to be in it?"_

_"...No thank you."_

_"Oh..." He doesn't look at the boy, but he guessed that the boy was shaking his head at his mother from afar. "Okay, she's just going to try and just take one of me. Is your Mommy here? Does she want to take a picture?"_

_"...No."_

_"Okay then..." Masamune felt the boy's stare. "Do you want them to? You look kind of angry now."_

_"No." He glared down at the base of his sandy book. "I'm not angry."_

_"It's okay. You had fun though, right?"_

_'Fun?' Masamune frowned._

_"It's okay," The boy says again to him. "You can have fun. Do you want to break it now?"_

_"Break it?"_

_"My Daddy told me when he was little that when he'd get angry he would gather up all his energy into his hands and hit a pillow very hard. I don't really do that though, but you can." In front of them the boy brought his hand to the middle of his book. "Hit it right in the center. Then you can pound on it. I'll pound on mine at the same time. Our family pounds on mochi every New Year's, so I pound really well. Let's count to 3."_

_Masamune brought his hand into a small fist as the boy started counting slowly. 'I'm angry...' He stared up at the center of his sand book. 'I don't like it.'_

_He was surprised when he punched through it; it did not all fall like he thought. It simply remained up with a hole in it. His hand to a little past his wrist was dirty with some wet sand._

_"Now pound on it!" He was reminded and he did so, also seeing that the other boy was doing it also to his book._ _Panting a little, he drew back, staring down at his mound of wet sand and broken sticks. His hands were dirty now, but as he let out his breath he felt... happy?_

_"Sand mochi?" He turned to the boy now at what sounded like a suggestion, who was facing his own sand mound. "I mean, I know we can't eat it..." he seemed to be talking to himself despite including him in the 'we'._

_'He's weird.' Little Masamune couldn't help but smile. When the boy turned to him, he widened his eyes at the familiar face._

_"You're smiling!" Little Ritsu smiled cheerfully at him. "You had fun, right?"_

Masamune gasped softly as he woke, glancing around and seeing people getting up. He had arrived to his destination. After waking up the older doctor next to him, they parted ways after leaving the station. _'4:47...'_ he put his cell phone away and walked along the sidewalk. _'What a strange dream...'_

 _'That would be cute though,'_ Masamune smiled softly, _'If we met that long ago.'_

"Masamune..." He turned to see an older man behind him, his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "It really is you."

"Yes?" The 27-year old's brows furrowed; he didn't recognize this man, even as the man stood straight and faced him properly. "Who are you?"

"I... I understand that you have every right to be angry with me. We both were lied to, and I-"

"I'm sorry, but I don't..." Masamune squinted at the man before him before his eyes widened in recognition. His stepfather had aged these past ten years a little oddly- a different expression and a gray head of hair. "Saga?"

"Yes... People outside of work have had a hard time recognizing me as well; I broke my nose falling down the stairs last month."

"Oh." Masamune pauses in thought; he didn't notice the change in nose. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"No, no, it was completely my fault; I didn't see the toy."

"I... see..." Masamune did not know where this was going to lead to. The man before him felt so foreign to him now, and is a different person now. _'Wait... a kid? A grandchild?'_ He looked at his former stepfather carefully. _'Who the hell did he remarry?'_ The old Saga would have scolded him if he left anything on the ground, even on accident. He couldn't help but feel a tad bit bitter. That wasn't fair. _'Why did I have to suffer?'_

"Masamune, is it possible that we can talk somewhere close by? Like a bar, or-"

"I'm sorry, but I have to get home." Masamune bowed his head a little, ready to turn and walk off; he really did have to go home to Ritsu and sleep. "We can do this some other time."

"I understand..." He looked at the card he was handed. "Call whenever you're available."

A block later, Masamune stared down long and hard at the card.

It... It was too good to be true.

Shaking his head eventually, he ripped it into fours and crumpled them together. After dropping it in a nearby recycling bin, he made his way home safely.

...

Warmth hit him as he entered the apartment, along with a pleasant scent of cooked food. "Ritsu?" After putting his coat and suitcase to the side, taking out Ritsu's pillow, he headed to the bedroom.

"Ritsu?" he calls now, quietly, seeing the brunet sleeping whilst hugging his pillow. Sorata had decided to take advantage of his absence to sleep on his side of the bed. Snickering, he went over Ritsu's side to get into the center and hug him from the back. After getting adjusted with the pillows and sighing in contentment, Masamune kissed his husband's nape.

Shivering at the touch, Ritsu was roused from his sleep. "Masamune?"

"I'm here. Just go back to sleep," Masamune whispers, the sides of his lips curving up as Ritsu shifted his body around to snuggle closer to him.

"Good night," Ritsu murmurs against his chest, his eyes closing immediately back to sleep. Masamune giggles softly.

"Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)I figured he wouldn't be welcoming to Saga... yet. Maybe never. I also wanted a contrast...
> 
> Next chapter, Sorata goes back home! Ritsu and Masamune are actually alone...? *will probably backfire on me later as I go on a different path that might be bestowed upon me* What will happen?


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-)School's starting soon! Most of you guys are probably back there huh?
> 
> I'm so sorry I'm late...

Ritsu took a deep breath before crossing the street from Takafumi's apartment, alone. Sorata was back at his actual home now, last seen by Ritsu, lounging on his perch looking out the balcony window.

 _'Alone...'_ Ritsu thought, walking nonchalantly. Inside, it felt a little lonely now, especially when remembering that Masamune comes home a little late into the night. Since it was past noon and lunch time, Ritsu thought then that it was a good time to venture around a bit now. _'Maybe I can go to the bookstore?'_

Minutes later when he saw the familiar shopping plaza ahead, he was set back as a small child practically rammed into him. "Oww..." Ritsu staggered over, clutching his pained stomach as he looked up to see the little girl he saw the other day at that sandbox. To his surprise, the child simply ran past him with her head down without an apology. After her, a man approached him.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what's gotten into her!" the man, likely her father, bowed quickly before running after her. "Aiyuri!"

 _'I wonder what happened...'_ Ritsu wondered, straightening up and looking ahead of him. Thinking of the bookstore now, he wondered what the new releases were- maybe he can just take a look at everything.

...

Figuring he had some time to spend, Shin strolled into Masamune's office with a snicker. The dark haired man seemed to be occupied with something on his cell phone. _'Looking at Ritsu again?'_ Vaguely, he remembered the times when he would visit his then-coma patient. Most of the time he went, there was Masamune looming around Ritsu like a stray cloud.

At first, he had thought of them to be lovebirds, all lovey-dovey to each other with the way he was hanging over Ritsu, but he was wrong. When Takafumi explained to him how they were, he was sure that what Masamune was simply guilt-tripping to the max. Especially with the way Masamune kept chanting his 'I love you's the first year with a sort of desperation, as if those were the magic words to wake the younger man. He remembered scoffing then as he entered the room, telling the other that it wouldn't have any meaning since he didn't mean it.

That's when he knew then, that the other man was as serious as can be. And that if Masamune had magic eyes he would have been blown into bits or transported somewhere with no return.

They have come a long way though, and now they were friends... sort of.

"What are you looking at~?" Shin sang, coming behind the desk and looking over, a hand over his mouth seeing what Masamune was reading about on his cell phone. He tried muffling his laughter before he spoke, surprising Masamune. "Why look that up when you can ask me?"

Masamune immediately put away his phone, glaring now. "No. Go back to your office."

"No way!" Shin laughs. "Anyways, I'd be happy to tell you how to do a great bl-"

"Dr. Haitani!" Eru glowered into the room, her short dark hair a little frazzled in a rush. "Dr. Hakure wants to see you about something. Now!"

"But," Shin is promptly pulled out and away. "Awww..." he lets himself be pulled in disappointment.

Glowering now, Masamune goes back to his cell phone. He didn't have a patient scheduled for another 13 minutes, and he was going to use this time wisely reading about more ways to pleasure his husband another way. It's been a long time for the both of them together, and he needed to brush up on some things.

* * *

About twenty minutes in, Ritsu found himself with four books in his arms. He was happy to see that the author Sumi was still writing, but was disappointed at the same time to see that Usami wasn't writing these days. _'He was a really good author too...'_ He paused his thoughts for a moment, _'Didn't Takafumi and Misaki say he was a prosecutor now? How strange.'_

One thing that kept nagging him to look at it was this misplaced book among the literature: 'Pleasuring Others, a Guide'. In the back of his mind, he wondered how much Masamune was holding back. He knew the man liked having sex, even at the oddest times (from what he remembered anyway). Ritsu knew himself that he wasn't really ready yet to engage in such yet until later, and even now just kissing Masamune made him weak to his knees easily.

A faint pink lighting his cheeks, he glances around before putting his four books on the shelf next to him before taking the guide into his hands and flipping through it.

8 Minutes later...

Reaching the register with a faint flush, Ritsu handed over his four books.

"Ah, would you like paper or plastic?"

"P-Paper..." He didn't realize their added options.

"Okay!"

"Um..." Ritsu shyly hands the cashier the guide. "I found this in the literature section... I don't know where to put it back..."

"Oh!" She sees the title and puts it to the side, blushing, "I'm so sorry! Good thing it wasn't in the children's section!"

On his way out of the store, he caught something. He watched as a man, that looked Misaki's age, read his book upside down- but, he didn't seem that focused on the book, instead glancing somewhere every other second.

"Umm..." Approaching him, Ritsu nudged him at the slightest. "Your book is upside down."

"?!" The young(?) man gave him a look of utmost surprise before turning it over, chuckling nervously. "T-thanks for catching that..."

"..." _'Is it like how it was in high school?'_ The brunet thought, _'Is he watching someone?'_

"..."

"..." _'Since it's here though, whoever he's watching must be in a different school.'_

"Is... is there something that you want from me?" The man asks him, becoming fidgety. Ritsu had simply been staring at him in silence. Now he spoke in a lower voice in case someone was nearby. "D-did we sleep together or something? Cause I'm telling you now, I'm not interested-"

"No no no no no..." Ritsu steps a little bit away, flushing. "No, it's not like that all! I-I just..." he fumbles a little with his paper bag of books, "You reminded me of someone back in high school..."

"Oh..." He gives the brunet a long, strange look before saying, "Wait..." His eyes widen, "Were you the guy with the cat that one time at work?"

"A-at work?"

"Yeah..." The dark haired youth(?) looked him up and down, nodding. "I'm sure it was you! In the elevator..."

"O-oh... yes, that was me." Now it felt like it has come full turn.

After a round of awkward silence, Ritsu bowed quickly and shuffled out of the store. _'That was so embarrassing!'_ He walked towards home. _'He didn't figure out that 'someone' was me, did he?'_

"Excuse me." He turned to see the man of that little girl from earlier, looking very apologetic.

"Yes?" Ritsu could only wonder what the man would want; to the man's side, he can see the little girl, looking down with a pout.

The father gently pushed his child to the front, "Aiyuri."

"I... I'm sorry," she says, looking at Ritsu's feet. Her little brows were furrowed. "I'm sorry."

"I-It's fine..." Ritsu gives a small smile. "You probably didn't notice me." He looked on quizzically as the girl brought her gaze up quickly, staring at him.

"I saw you."

"...Oh." He blinked in confusion. "W-what?" _'And she still collided with me?'_

"I was playing in the sandbox, and I saw you walking."

"Oh, you mean from a few days ago?" _'So she really didn't see me when she was running...'_

"In our neighborhood?" Her father questions, switching looks to the both of them. "Did you move in recently?"

"No, I was visiting someone..."

"I see." Suddenly, the man seemed to recall something, and looked down at his little girl. "You were playing in the sandbox out there? Aiyuri, you know you can't play out there by yourself!"

"Mommy said it was okay," she looks back to Ritsu's feet with a frown. "Mommy doesn't care."

"Aiyuri, that's not-" The man was interrupted as his cell phone rang. "Hello?'

"Now Daddy is talking to a co-worker," Aiyuri stage whispers to Ritsu, stepping closer to him. "And it's going to be something 'important,' and then he's going to leave me like always."

Ritsu felt at a loss what to do as the father answered his call, red a little in embarrassment to what his daughter said to a stranger such as him. When his eyes widened at whoever was talking to him on the phone, Ritsu assumed that the small girl was right. "I understand." The father hung up seconds later, putting his cell phone up with a resigned sigh. "Aiyuri... I-"

"'-have to work late, so eat what Mommy made.' Mommy makes rice, and some other weird stuff cause she's old." She crosses her arms, and Ritsu shuffles back in place, wanting to bolt from this odd family situation. Alas, the little girl continues, and she now had a grip on Ritsu's leg. "Mommy says I could always cook myself, but you said I'm not allowed to do that until I go to middle school."

"I-I'll cook something when we get home, Ai-" he was interrupted with another phone call. "...Hello?"

"Know they're going to tell him they need him right now," Aiyuri pouts into Ritsu's leg, having hugged that leg when the cell phone rang. "He has to call a cab, and then wonder what he's going to do with me."

"I'll get there as soon as possible," her father then hangs up for the second time, visibly troubled. After a moment's silence of decision, he looks to Ritsu in urgency. "Can you watch her? Please?!"

"H-huh?!" Ritsu had no time to react properly as bills were handed forcefully in his hand that wasn't holding the books.

"She knows her way home- make sure she gets there before 9, or my wife will get worried." He bends down to his daughter and kisses her on the forehead. "Your mother does love you, but she's just so wrapped up in her own world. And I love you too." With that, he runs off in search of a close cab.

...

 _'What... just happened?'_ Ritsu felt so drained now. His paper bag containing books felt like a sack of sand in his arm.

He looked down at the little girl, who looked up at him. _'What do I do now? I won't be able to lift her when she gets tired,'_ he was worried now. _'I really need to up my strength to where it should be.'_

"Um..." He hands her the money given to him. "I don't want it, s-so I guess you can save it... or is there something you want to buy?"

"Really?!" Her eyes light up, and she looks down at the money with a bright smile. As her attention was occupied by that, Ritsu brought out his cell phone and went through his contacts. _'Please pick up, please pick up!'_

"Hello?" He sighs in relief hearing the voice.

"An, I need your help..."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Aiyuri asks him, a hand on the end of his coat. Her other arm held a small, simple designed rabbit that had a skinny red ribbon around its neck. After using a part of her given money on that, she put the rest up in her coat pocket.

"We're going to visit my Mom and sister, An."

She tightens her grip on his coat. "You're going to dump me on them?"

"No! I just..." Ritsu looks down at her as they walk. "I'm not strong enough to carry you anywhere if you get tired."

"Why?"

"I was in a coma for a long time, so my muscles aren't working well just yet. The heaviest thing I can lift is a medium-sized bag of rice."

"I see." She walks a little ahead of him and sees his ring. "You're married?"

"Yes."

"Are they at work?"

"Yes. He works at the hospital."

"He?" She thinks to herself for a moment. "Daddy told me Mommy's first husband was a doctor that operated on people. Mommy doesn't like talking about before she met Daddy." She stops him with a tug and tiptoes up with a hand in a way that meant she was going to whisper something to him. He went down to her level by squatting down. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I think Mommy was hiding something from me about that, and she was."

"What was it?" Ritsu couldn't help but smile as he asked. It reminded him of when his father would squat or kneel to talk like this or hug him.

"A few months ago I went up in the attic to explore, and I found a little book with a baby that wasn't me."

He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. And it looked a little old, so do you know what that means?"

"What does it mean?"

"It means I have a big sibling somewhere! But..." she seemed disappointed now, "They're probably really old."

"It can't be that bad," he pauses for a split second, "Maybe it's like, if you and me were siblings."

"Ehh..." She beams at him. "So they'll give me money and take me to places?"

"I... I guess?" _'I only took her to one place- two places now.'_

...

"Woahh..." Aiyuri looks at An in wonder, seeing the small pregnant bump. "We give you guys our seats on the subway!"

An raises her brow at that before taking her upstairs to show her the baby's room.

"So her father just left her with you?" Ritsu's mother asks, the two of them sitting in the kitchen as An kept Aiyuri busy.

"Yeah. He gave me money too, but I just gave it to her and she bought that rabbit. I think she's used to her parents being gone a lot too."

"She said I could be her mother," his mother put a hand to her cheek, troubled. "A child at my age... I would get so much ulcers..."

"I wonder how she is," Ritsu says, "She seemed to be more busy than the father."

"I believe An said that he grew up in that kind of environment. Your husband."

"Masamune?"

"Yes, him. No wonder he looked so gloomy when you brought him the first time. And with that hair."

"There's nothing wrong with his hair! Mom..." Ritsu whines.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" She pats his cheeks lightly. "I don't know why myself, but he looks more like him than anyone else in my eyes."

"Him?"

"Your father's closest friend. I swear, when you brought him to us at first, I thought I was reliving one of my worst nightmares!"

Ritsu blinks, confused. "W-what?"

"It was so long ago, while I was pregnant with you. We're in the living room together, and he wants to tell me a secret- and he brings _him_ in! I was so shocked," she cries. "They kissed right in front of me! I went with him everywhere as much as I could after that if they were in the same place. I was not ready to confess to your father yet, but I had to show _him_ that he was mine!" she ends, fuming at the memory. "Also, I was kidnapped a few years back then by the likes of him! They show no mercy in compensation! They get what they want, their way! I despise them!"

"..." Ritsu is at a loss. "M-Mom..." _'It feels like she is young inside right now...'_

"I know," she begins, "They were probably just very good friends. And that it can be quite hard for me to get over things... but I'll try my best to make... Masamune feel welcome."

"Mom..." he smiles at her. "Thank you."

"He seems to be taking good care of you, and since you love him there must be some good qualities on him." She frowns, "There is a saying that men fall for those like their mother..." She looks at him worriedly. "Am I-"

"No! You two are nothing alike!"

"Then..." she continues frowning. "You chose him because we're nothing alike?"

"No, no! All that had nothing to do with how I fell in love with him!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm really sure!"

"I see." She reaches over the table to take her mug of tea back to her to drink it. "That's good then."

 _'Mom, at this rate, I'm going to get an ulcer...'_ Ritsu reached over to get his mug of tea and took a long sip. Sometimes, his mother was just too much for him. Hearing footsteps, he watched along with his mother as Aiyuri came in, followed by An.

"I thought of a good name for the baby," the young girl announces proudly. "Her name is going to be Megumi."

"You can't name her," Ritsu says, "I'm the one who's going to be naming her."

"What?" She pouts, "Then choose Megumi! Megumi is a pretty name!"

"I thought Maeko would be a nice name," his mother pitched in, "Or Sachi, Suzuka..."

 _'I wanted to combine names somehow... but I can't really do that without it sounding strange or too simple.'_ He took another sip of his tea. _'And this is a living being! Certain things will happen to her depending on her name! And I don't want her to hate me!'_

"Don't worry about it too much, Rittie," An says, sitting on the other side of him. "I think no matter what, you'll choose a wonderful name."

"What if she doesn't like it?"

"She won't!"

"What's your name?" They turn to see Aiyuri address his- their mother. "My Mommy's name is Kotoko. My Daddy Tatsuo named me after his mother and sister."

 _'Masamune's mother was named that too,'_ Ritsu thought, thinking it was a coincidence.

"We never properly introduced ourselves, haven't we?" His mother smiles at her. "I'm Onodera Tsubaki." She bows from her seat slightly.

"Ooh!" Aiyuri steps back once and bows a little too enthusiastically. "My name is Takagake Aiyuri! I'm five years old and I like rabbits and pudding!"

"That's nice!" After his mother claps for her, she looks to Ritsu and An with some nostalgia. "I remember when you two were so crazy for pudding..."

"What?!" Aiyuri looks between the three. "You mean it's a phase? I won't like pudding forever?!"

"That's up to you, I'm afraid." Tsubaki pats her on the head fondly. "You change as you grow."

"I actually like gelato more than pudding," An admits. "Sometimes greek yogurt, or macaroons when Kazuto brings some home."

Aiyuri's brows furrow to the unknown. "What's gelato?"

* * *

Later that night...

"Ritsu?" Masamune walked in, seeing the lights on but hearing nothing. He received a text saying that they were going to simply clear the leftovers in the fridge, to which Masamune was all for, but wondered what Ritsu was doing. He had called once when he was halfway home, but the brunet didn't pick up. When he spotted the brunet sleeping on the couch, Masamune noted that Ritsu didn't seem to be having a good dream.

Seeing the latter's face a little scrunched up to a frown, displeased at something in his dream, Masamune shook him awake. "Naa..." Ritsu turned, shivering. "No more..."

"Ritsu." Masamune shook him a little harder. "Ritsu!"

"Ah!" Ritsu sat up, his eyes wide open as he glanced around before facing Masamune. "Masamune?"

"You were having a bad dream. What happened?"

"It..." The brunet scratches the back of his head, "They kept feeding me gelato... but I didn't even eat the gelato when I was over there, how strange..."

"Oh, were you at your Mother's?"

"Yeah... I ended up babysitting this little girl and I was afraid I wouldn't be to carry her if she got tired so I called An for help. Then I went over there after we got her stuffed rabbit. Her name was Aiyuri."

Masamune went to sit next to him. "How did you end up babysitting a little girl?"

"I-It's a long story... anyway, Kazuto came home after she took a nap, and he dropped me off before he and An dropped her off. I felt kind of bad. She really wanted to stay with us some more. Her parents were too busy."

"I think I can understand that." He ruffles Ritsu's hair. "I'll go warm something up for the both of us." As he did so, Ritsu followed behind him. "So, was your Mom there?"

"Yeah. And I found out why she doesn't seem to like you more than Kazuto."

"Really? What?"

"To her, you looked a lot like my Dad's closest friend. She didn't like him, and that," he sighs, "She also didn't like how you and Kazuto looked."

"Are you sure that's it?"

Ritsu looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that is probably it, but I think for some time back then when you introduced me, she really was upset at me. Not because I looked like someone she didn't like, but because well, you got married. Most parents don't like it when their children leave them to live their own life with their spouse you know? But eventually, they come to accept it as a part of life. You'll always be her son of course."

"Oh... Yeah," Ritsu nods, "I understand that." He pauses in thought, "But-"

"Since it took her almost a decade though," Masamune's expression darkened, "Was she just being shallow and unyielding the rest of the time?"

"Y-yeah... I'm so sorry. I tend to forget about that side of my mother..."

"No, it's not your fault. And I don't care about what she thinks about my looks." After pressing two minutes for the microwave after putting in some leftovers on two plates, he turned back to Ritsu. "Do you like how I look?"

"W-what?"

"Do you ever think I'm sexy or anything like that?" He went towards Ritsu, and the latter found himself back against the refrigerator with a blush. "You have never really said anything about what you like about me physically. Do you think I'm attractive?"

"W-wh-what kind of a question is that?!" He averts his gaze. "I-I... I didn't-"

"-Fall in love with me because of my looks, I know. But," he brought up one hand to tilt Ritsu's face towards him. "What do you think now? We've come this far, and obviously we're just as physically attracted to each other as we are emotionally."

"T-then you know!" He shut his eyes as Masamune's face hovered over his, their noses touching. "You know..."

"Know what?" His warm breath ghosted over Ritsu's tightly shut lips.

"Y-you know," Ritsu swallowed, his eyes opening to look to his side at the counter across from them. "I... I... t-think... you're very... h-handsome..."

When no response came seconds later until a light laugh broke through, Ritsu frowned and turned to look, only to have Masamune press his lips against his hard and happily.

"I find you handsome too," Masamune whispered closely as they drew away for breath, "And cute at the same time. How do you do it?" Before Ritsu could answer his lover took his lips again with his own, and he moaned as hands felt their way down his sides. Gradually, he rest his own hands on Masamune's chest before steadily bringing them up to his shoulders. When the older's tongue sought it's way through, Ritsu automatically complied, shuddering as their tongues clashed together.

Faintly, a beeping noise registered through his pounding ears, but he paid no mind when his legs gave away. As Masamune brought his hand against his behind to stay up against him, Ritsu groaned when they broke away, feeling that achingly familiar hardness connecting the both of them.

"Ritsu," Masamune whispered hoarsely, trailing his lips hungrily down his husband's neck before sucking sensually, sure to leave marks.

Ritsu tilted his head to the side as those lips went their way, his hands now gripping on to that dark head of hair. His panting and Masamune's lips against his skin were all he could hear at the moment, and-

*KNOCK KNOCK* They froze. *KNOCK KNOCK*

"..." Loosening his grip on his lover's hair, Ritsu still maintained a hold on his shoulders. He can feel the deadly intent seeping off his husband in waves. "M-Masamune..."

"I'm going to kill them," The older simply growled, steadying Ritsu before planting a kiss to his lips. He sauntered off towards the door. In worry for whoever's on the other side of the door, Ritsu follows.

Opening the door with a gusto, Masamune glared at Henmi and Misaki. "What could you guys possibly want at 10:30 at night?"

"A-actually, it's 10:48," Henmi hesitantly says, as Misaki went past them to Ritsu.

...

"-and that's why we need you guys' help." Misaki finishes, as Henmi took out and turned on the laptop.

Masamune frowns. "So... he doesn't know that you're doing this?"

"Yep!"

"But..." Ritsu thinks for a moment, "Can't you also access your email through your cell phone? Wouldn't Takafumi notice something? That's his laptop too right? Is he sleeping?"

"Yeah, out like a-" they freeze as the door opens, Takafumi walking in with a glare. He was wearing a coat over his pajamas. "H-hi..." Misaki meekly greets.

Takafumi brought out his iphone, it's screen on his emails. "You put me on a dating site?!"

Nudging Ritsu away to the kitchen so they can eat together, they ate in silence as they watched Takafumi scold the two. Minutes later, Misaki and Henmi then managed to draw a reluctant Takafumi in to the world of online dating.

It would only be about three hours later until Masamune kicked them out, and Ritsu wondering how Takafumi knew Henmi and Misaki were here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2014-Notes)Woah... Shouta made his first appearance!
> 
> I understand that in Japan, there is a civil law when you get married that you have to choose one surname...? (I don't know if that has been changed as of recently) If any of you were wondering or anything like that...
> 
> It's different in here, especially when in this story's time, homosexual marriage is legal and has been legal for a pretty good amount of time (which is why everyone doesn't really bat an eye in here).
> 
> Some of the older group is sort of miffed about it though, understandably (though way back in the past, like way back in the past before westernization, it was pretty normal- from what I read anyway).
> 
> For Masamune's mother, she decided to keep her surname (as she has become pretty well-known in the attorney world), while her young daughter takes on her father's surname.
> 
> Ritsu's mother kept her surname because she... well, wanted to, and to keep her husband in memory.
> 
> Ritsu and Masamune don't really care about that in particular, and the paperwork to change all that is a little troublesome.  
> Normally, I guess, the wife taking on the surname of her husband (or vice versa if the wife is an only child and the husband isn't) is one of those traditional standards. For example, like Misaki's parents.
> 
> And like Akihiko's father, who had married his mother (An Usami) to become an Usami. *shrugs*


	26. Chapter 26

"Dr. Takano," Masamune looked up at his door to the nurse. "You have someone coming in. He says it's personal."

Raising a brow at that, he puts some papers to the side. "Okay. Bring him here." As he waited, his glanced around his room, a proud storm brewing up in his being. His room was just right. It made some people stare and stay a little too long, but it was just right. As long as they didn't take any pictures.

"Masamune." He directed his attention to the door, surprised to see Saga. As the door closed shut Saga made his way to sit in front of him, and Masamune scolded himself inwardly. If someone comes in and it's personal, it had to be for something like this.

He couldn't help but be disappointed though, seeing that the old man didn't look around his room. He simply faced forward and was now looking through his wallet.

"What is this about?" he asks, wanting to get this over with.

"Masamune, I... My wife and I have been talking for a long while now, and we would like to extend an invitation for you to join our family. I have tried to call your home, but you never picked up."

"Oh. I'm sorry." _'I forgot we had a phone in the apartment... it's probably not connected.'_

"It's fine. We also want you to come to our home for Christmas this year. Everyone will be there."

 _'Everyone huh?'_ Masamune couldn't help but think, feeling that familiar bitterness rising up.

"Ah yes, I remember hearing you're married. We would love it if you were to bring her along as well."

"..." Masamune stared at him for a long while. "You were there at that convention, were you?"

"Yes."

"And you did hear that Ritsu was a successfully awakened coma patient, right?"

"Yes. We don't get a lot of those."

"Hai... Dr. Haitani went around with pictures, did you ever see those?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I see..." _'Well, Ritsu is a unisex name...'_ "I have some of his pictures over there, I'm surprise you didn't look at them," he gestured to the walls.

Confused at the 'his' pictures, Saga turned to look. His eyes widened as he turned between both sides of the room. Four pictures framed at a medium size were on both sides of the room. It had all different pictures, and Masamune affectionately referred to them as his top 8.

Facing Masamune on his desk were smaller framed pictures, one that was Ritsu at the park, and the other the one he had taken with him when Ritsu had fallen back asleep. It was odd, but he liked looking at that picture. He felt happy seeing his picture self happy being with Ritsu.

"I'm sorry," Masamune says eventually, "But Ritsu and I have plans to be with his family on Christmas."

Saga turned back to him. "What about Christmas Eve?"

"I will be busy spending my birthday with Ritsu." Masamune paused in thought before adding, "Thank you for the gesture though. This must have been hard to do considering it's been about a decade." On his lap, he tapped endlessly on his cell phone.

"That.. That's not..." Saga sighs, and looked at Masamune. "I've had a lot to think about with my stepdaughters. I also understand that years ago, I have been unfair to you. I really am sorry."

"..." Masamune stared at him carefully before he sighed turning his cell phone forward and back in his hands on his lap. "I see. Well..." he paused. "Thank you for telling me that."

"Masamune," Saga began, his expression downcast realizing Masamune didn't quite forgive him, "I want to make things up to you. I would really like for you to join our family." He pauses. "Unless, did you reconcile with your mother and joined back with her family?"

"No. I haven't seen her in years." Masamune answers honestly, trying to think things through, "And... I'm sorry, but I want to decline your offer."

"Decline?" Saga frowns. "Is it Ritsu?"

"No, it's not." Masamune states, a little irritated now at him for saying that. "I'm declining because I don't wish to be part of your family."

"You don't...? But," Saga raises his voice slightly, "We are family! Where you are now proves that!"

"You mean being a doctor?" Masamune laughs, surly. "Is that it? If you saw me out of that profession, you wouldn't even approach me as you do now." _'I knew it seemed too good to be true. But... why do I feel so relieved? Is it because he still apologized anyway?'_

"That's...!"

"You did influence me, I assure you- as the reason why I didn't become a surgeon. But the ones who helped me reach this point, encouraged me... Was Ritsu, my friend and his family, and some people here. Believe me, I think I could have ended up being a bartender or maybe somewhere involving books."

Masamune waited in silence afterwards, watching Saga debate inwardly. Since the older man decided not to reply, he beat him to it. "You may leave now. I have an appointment in a few minutes."

* * *

 _'Two weeks off soon,'_ Masamune thought happily, taking out his keys and getting inside. It was around 9:30. He curiously looked on when he entered, seeing Ritsu reading through small albums on the living room floor. "I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Ritsu says in turn, smiling up at him. "You're early."

"Today wasn't that busy for me since I had appointments up until 5," he takes off his coat and hangs it up in the small closet. "Around 6 though, Haitani and I ended up helping Dr. Sakurai with his foot patients."

"What happened?"

"These young men were walking along this old bridge barefooted. I had to hold them down while Dr. Sakurai froze their feet to take the warts out. Since he had to take around three centimeters off on both of the bottom of their feet, they're staying at the hospital for a week just in case."

"O-oh..." Ritsu trails off. "Okay." That kind of grossed him out.

Chuckling, Masamune went to sit next to him on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Looking through some old albums, and one of Kazuto's." Ritsu smiled down at them. "I'm thinking I can somehow figure out what to name their daughter."

"From these?" He picked one up, snickering in fondness seeing a toddler Ritsu in the tub. "You're so cute."

"!" Ritsu did a double take before taking the album away. "D-don't look at that one..."

"Come on," Masamune took it back from him and turned the page. "It's not like it..." He smirked seeing a another picture of toddler Ritsu running away from his mother naked. "You were such a naughty little boy," he laughs, the laugh doubling more seeing Ritsu flush a bright red. He then planted a small kiss to the younger's cheek.

"I-I-I'm going to get d-dinner ready..." Ritsu shakily got up, red and retreating to the kitchen.

Deciding to spare the brunet from more embarrassment, Masamune switched onto another album. Going through the pages, he eventually stopped on one, staring at one of the photos in fascination. "Ritsu?" he calls out.

"W-what?"

"You played at a sandbox when you were little?"

"Yeah." From the kitchen counter, Ritsu looked in his direction for a moment before going back to whatever was in the oven. "Why?"

"Why is this picture smaller than the others?"

"Which picture? I played in the sandbox a lot, so I don't know which one you mean."

"Oh. This picture..." Masamune continued to look at it. "You're smiling at someone off camera."

"Um... I think that's the one where I was playing with this boy. I don't really remember."

"A boy?"

"I think so. I think maybe he didn't want his picture taken? If the picture is small like you said my Mom probably cut it out or something."

"Oh," Masamune replied, a little dejected. He grazed his thumb along the photo, noticing seconds later that it seemed a bit bulky compared to the rest of the photos. "Ritsu?"

"Hm?"

"Can I take one out real quick? It looks like it was folded."

"I guess. I have to return half of them later though, so don't rip anything."

"I won't. What do you take me for?" he says, smiling when Ritsu laughed a little in response. Carefully, he pulled the photo out of its tight confinement, sure not to leave in any air bubbles. To his happiness, the photo was indeed folded in half, and he unfolded to see what was on the other side. "..."

"Okay, I think I got everything, Masamune," Ritsu calls out to him, putting the plates on the table one by one. "I tried that meat recipe where you roll it up and tie it after putting in some things. My Mom gave us some pickled turnips and radishes, so we'll eat that too, along with..." he trails off, feeling arms wrapping around him. "...? Masamune?"

"Can we take a bath together?"

"H-huh?!" Ritsu turned to look at him, about to protest until he saw the earnest expression on his husband's face. A faint blush on his cheeks, he turned back to the table. "On... Only if we take separate showers."

"Got it." The brunet shivered receiving a kiss on the back of his neck.

...

"You can sit on my lap."

"Are you sure?" Ritsu gulps, the steam floating all around him only added to his hazy sight. For some reason, he couldn't stop staring at his husband, but was hesitant to get within a foot near him.

"Of course," Masamune held out a hand, "Come on." After Ritsu got in, Masamune securely wrapped one arm around him. "Comfortable?"

Ritsu swallows. "Y-yes..." Slowly, the brunet leaned back with shut eyes, and Masamune used a hand to push him back more gently against his chest before running that hand through the brunet's hair.

"This feels nice, doesn't it?" Masamune says after a while. Ritsu hummed softly in response, and the older puts his head back against the tub, sighing in relaxation.

"Masamune?"

"Hmm... What?"

"Do you think Natsuka is a nice name?"

"Natsuka?"

"Yeah... Cause An and Kazuto like Summer- well, they like the other seasons but Summer won for their wedding. And growing up I know An likes flowers... not more than shopping and all that but..." Ritsu paused. "What if the baby won't like Summer? Or flowers?"

"It doesn't have to be too literate. I think it's a nice name."

"Are you sure?" Ritsu looked down at the other end of the tub.

"Yeah. Summer is when school's out, I'm sure she would love that. There are many things about Summer to love. Like hot weather."

"What's so good about hot weather?"

"We can sleep together naked." When Ritsu didn't respond the older laughed, running a hand through those brown locks again. "In our boxers."

"Pervert."

"Says the one who couldn't stop looking at me once we stepped in here. I can feel your eyes."

"L-like you weren't doing the same!"

Masamune laughs again. "Yeah, you're right. We're both perverts." He sighs. "I love you."

The younger tilted his head up at him, an eyebrow raised. "A pervert like me?"

"Yeah," he chuckles, hugging him close on his lap. He kisses the wet brown hair. "I love you so much."

Ritsu hummed, turning his head to rest against Masamune's chest. "I love you too-" he stopped, jolting when he felt something bump up under him. "...Masamune?"

"Sorry, sorry," the older muffled his laughter against Ritsu's head. He nudged the brunet up along with himself. "Let's get dry."

* * *

"So you said no?" Ritsu guesses, the next morning at breakfast after Masamune told him about Saga.

"Yeah. Do you think I should have said yes?"

"Hmm... I don't know. I've only heard his voice at least twice back in high school. If you said yes though, I wouldn't mind."

"Oh, he didn't even know about us back then, huh? He was really surprised when he saw your pictures." He smiles at the memory, smug.

"Really?" Ritsu smiles as well before he blinked in confusion. "Wait, what? Pictures?"

"You got it. My office feels so wonderful to be in now." Ritsu blushes. "New nurses don't even try to hit on me now."

"I-I see..."

"Ritsu?" he asks suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay with riding in a car?"

The brunet contemplates this, taking a bite out of his eggs. "It's been a long time since I rode a car, but I think I'll be fine. Why?"

"I want to take you somewhere in my birthday."

"Huh?" Ritsu looked up at him. "What time?"

"Ritsu, I told you not to plan anything."

"I know. Just... what time?"

"After we go out for dinner, so a little after 8 or 9."

"Okay..." he nibbles a bit on his chopsticks, "Got it." He catches Masamune's questioning gaze. "You have to open my gift too, do you remember?"

"Ritsu..."

"Hey, if I told you not to get me anything, would you?"

"..."

Feeling smug for the first time in a while, Ritsu focused back to eating his food with satisfied huff. _'I actually got him this time!'_

When footsteps passed his seat, he turned, planning to say his daily goodbye until lips pressed against his. His eyes widened and he swallowed, horrified that Masamune decided to do this while he was eating. He shivered as he felt a tongue against his, his eyes closing until his husband was satisfied.

"Ha..." He opens his eyes to see Masamune's lips curved up into a smirk. "You sure got me." Ritsu flushed, and as he spotted a grain of rice at the edge of his lover's lips, he became mortified when the older licked his lips in glee.

"Y-y-you..." Ritsu incoherently begins, Masamune's eyes softened at his flustered husband.

"See you," the older kisses his forehead before heading out. "And thank you for the meal."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2020-) Masamune's Bday.

_"You never did this before?" Ritsu looked back at the melting candle. "Just make a wish in your head and blow. You can't tell anyone though."_

_Masamune scoffed, staring down at the single illuminating candle. Not for too long though, as he'd rather stare at the softening effect the light had on his boyfriend. "What am I supposed to wish for?"_

_"Anything you want. Maybe it'll come true," Ritsu says, optimistic. "You've been a good person this year."_

_Raising a brow, Masamune gave another scoff before blowing and getting it over with. "There."_

_"What did you wish for?"_

_"...Nothing much." Masamune plucked the candle off. 'It's not like it's going to come true anyway.' He waited for a moment as Ritsu moved to turn on the lights._

_..._

_"Just come with us," Takafumi recommends, Henmi at his side as they looked at Masamune. "It's your birthday right? Ritsu wouldn't want you moping."_

_"No thanks," Masamune began walking the other direction, staring dully ahead of him. "Just go have fun with yourselves."_

_"Masamune..." Takafumi began, before Henmi caught his arm and shook his head. Nodding, and with one last glance behind them, the two go on their way._

_"..." Once he was sure they were out of sight, Masamune dashed back into the building._

_When he managed to sneak back into Ritsu's room, he sighed, bringing up a chair to sit next to the slumbering brunet. He glanced around the room in contemplative silence before giving Ritsu's face a small smile while grabbing the hand closest to him. "Hi," he greets softly. "Ritsu."_

_It wasn't like he couldn't function without lover. He was sure he could have just gone home to eat and all that, but... He swallowed, his throat becoming raw. His fingers felt around the unresponsive hand._

_He didn't want to be home alone. Everything that has happened lately, it made him afraid for what he'll do when alone. Around the first time he went out of line he went drinking and tried smoking. He woke up one morning with a hangover so bad all he simply did was lay his head on Ritsu's lap while trying to ignore the noise that was Takafumi scolding his ear off._

_While taking a smoke sounded nice about now, he knew couldn't do that now. He wouldn't be able to come back in without getting caught and scolded at. The last thing he wanted was to be away for too long._

_"I love you," he whispered, bringing up his hand to kiss it. "I wish-" he stopped, remembering Ritsu's words from the first birthday they shared together that was his birthday:_

_-'"Just make a wish in your head and blow. You can't tell anyone though."'-_

_-'"Anything you want. Maybe it'll come true," Ritsu's hopeful voice rang through his mind. "You've been a good person this year."'-_

_'I was hardly being 'good' that year or this,' Masamune thought at their present, pressing the hand against his cheek. 'You'd still tell me that though.'_

_-'"What did you wish for?"'-_

_'I wished you'd wake up,' he placed Ritsu's hand back to his side, his thumb caressing over the soft skin gently. "I love you, Ritsu."_

_'Please let him wake up,' he laid his head near Ritsu's side. He gazed longingly at that unconscious face, hoping, waiting for the day those eyes would open. 'As long as he wakes up and is okay, I'll be fine. Even if he forgets me, I'll be fine.'_

_'He'll just end up falling in love with me all over again..' He brought Ritsu's hands to his lips once more in a small prayer. If it was one thing he could have the luxury of being confident in, in this time of hopefulness, it was that._

"Masamune." As blearily as the morning light allowed, Masamune opened his eyes upon being shaken gently. His mouth cracked into a smile when he saw that brightened face. However, his expression slowly became baffled seeing the hairstyle his husband was sporting. Ritsu flushed at the expression. "I woke up and it was like this." He patted the outward hair on top of his head. "I tried flattening it down with gel and water but it looked like a weird bump."

"I'll fix it for you," the older grunted, getting up from bed and taking him by the arm to the bathroom. "How long have you been up?"

"Almost 2 hours..." Ritsu looked at him from the mirror in the bathroom, the latter next to him as he quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. "I made breakfast and your surprise, so don't snoop in the kitchen."

"Got it," Masamune answered, as he brought his small hand towel to dry his face. "Remember though, this is my day, and I'm taking you out."

"Got it!" The brunet replied back in a feigned annoyed tone. "But..." he faltered, "I think you should really do this on my birthday-"

"I will-"

"Instead of today, where I should be taking you out and not the other way around!" Ritsu finishes with a huff. "I still have money too you know. Why can't I take you out and pay for everything?"

"Because," Masamune began, moving behind the younger to try and fix his hair. "That's not what I want for my birthday. For my birthday, I want to take you out on a date and spend the whole day with you."

"We already do that and you let me pay only once."

"Ritsu," he sighs, hugging his lover from behind for a short while. "Let me spoil you. Please? There's nothing wrong with that is there?"

"That... That's not fair..." Ritsu caught eyes with him on the mirror. "What about me? I..." he looks away, downcast, "I want to spoil you too..."

"And you do. You do," Masamune hummed as he ran his hands through Ritsu's hair. "Every moment you try and make moves on me."

Immediately the brunet blushed. "W-what? What are you talking about?!"

"Oh, you thought I wouldn't notice?" The dark-haired lover trailed his hands up and down his love's arms, his front to his back. "When you 'accidentally' touch my hands when we're trying to cook together, or when we're coming home from our walks and you lean on me a little, or when I turn away to sleep and you hug me from behind..."

"You turned away on purpose?!"

"No... that," Masamune admits, "I thought you might be annoyed since I hardly let you sleep with space." Haitani had seriously bugged him with that sleeping talk that particular day. He didn't want to end up annoying Ritsu with his hugging before and during sleeping.

"What?! N-no, that..." Ritsu hung his head low, his hair obscuring his face to hide his confession. "I... I like it when we sleep together like that... A-and I'm so used to it. I thought that you got tired of it," Masamune's eyes widen, "-so I waited until I thought you were asleep before I..." he trails off, peeking up just barely before catching his husband's gaze and looking down again. A few seconds later though, he found himself turned and his cheek against Masamune's chest.

 _'Haitani...'_ Masamune growled in the midst of his mind, despite his smiling reassuringly down at Ritsu. _'You're are so lucky I don't work for two weeks, and not at work to beat your annoying ass.'_

* * *

"Are you okay with wearing that?" Masamune eyed the dark gray beanie of his that Ritsu wore. "I never wore it yet since it was too big for me too. I don't know why Takafumi's mother got me that."

"It's fine!" The younger replied, pulling down the sides to ensure that it would stay on and not cover his eyes. His hair, while not in a odd uppity mess, had ended up airy and tangle-free with Masamune's combing, causing a volume-induced look that didn't suit men with short-medium hair.

"I remember you having bed hair like that occasionally, but this one..."

"I probably pushed my head up or something a lot this time when I was sleeping," Ritsu thought was the explanation. "What if this was a sign? Maybe we should go home."

"We'll be okay." Masamune took one of Ritsu's occupied hands into his own and walked alongside him. "Just a bad hair day is all."

"I hope so..."

...

Down at the shopping plaza, the two passed by the shops on their way to the other side of the city part they lived close to. Since it was the afternoon however, the lights meant for festivity weren't on to illuminate the holiday spirits other than screen advertisements on some buildings.

"So what do you want for Christmas?" Masamune asks, swinging their linked hands a little. "You never really answered me about what you wanted for a gift."

"? Oh, well," Ritsu looked up ahead at some buildings, "I don't know. I don't think I want anything."

"Are you sure? I can get you anything you want," he tugged on the brunet's hand to get back his attention. "Isn't there anything you want?"

"You don't have to..." he trails off, thoughtful for a moment before looking up at Masamune. "Do you think bedsheets are on sale right now?"

"...Bedsheets?" Masamune's mind flashed back to those bloodied sheets, and he began feeling dismayed, remembering that he had caused Ritsu pain. "You mean..."

"Yeah," Ritsu nods enthusiastically. "Since it's been about what, how many years since it was manufactured? The price would be lowered now right? Can we go get that?"

"You want that?"

"Yes! I mean, nothing's wrong with the sheets now... but I want to feel how soft the other one was- you'll like it! You don't really remember how soft they were right?"

"I," Masamune furrowed his brows, "I just thought they were normal sheets..." He instantly felt bad seeing Ritsu look disheartened.

"Oh..."

"But we'll go get them!" the older promises. "And anything else you want."

"I think that's all I want." Masamune shot Ritsu a incredulous look, and Ritsu glanced about to the side with a faint flush. "I-I don't really... For the most part, I already have what I want, so..."

"Ritsu," the older man halfheartedly whines, pulling Ritsu closer to him. It was okay to be a little more touchy since no one was really around them. "Can't you let me spoil you more? Be selfish with me. You can do whatever you want with me. We're married, and we share everything. You could change the whole apartment if you want."

"Th... That's not- I did that paperwork with Takafumi..."

"About that. I realized something recently about back then."

"Huh? What?"

"You said our stuff wasn't mixed in a sense right? You did it with Yokozawa and he filed it?"

"Yeah. He put it in his desk and told me he would go get it through later."

"If that was it then," Masamune began. "Why was I listed as your next of kin? If you had really got our affairs separate, then your mother would have been the one."

"...Oh."

"Either way," he continues, "I would probably have fought her for it."

"So, he didn't..?"

"Yeah. He probably did the opposite." The raven-haired man shrugged. "I guess that's what happens when a close friend is a lawyer. He thinks he knows what's best for us. I thought it was a good decision."

Ritsu gave him a wary glance. "You didn't have anything to do with the paperwork?"

"Nope. I just realized that fact after a while. Ah." He pulls Ritsu along with him to resume walking. "We should get him something huh? He's done a lot for us."

"Y-yeah, he has." Ritsu paused for a bit. "What do you think he would like this year?"

"Well, after we get everything you want, we'll go look around more before dropping it off at home and back out for dinner and a drive."

"Wait, so you when did you rent a car?"

"No rent. I got one with a good deal." He explains further. "It's just sitting in the back parking area we rarely walk through just waiting to be used."

"Really?" Ritsu turned his head to look at the road close by them. "Should I learn how to drive too?"

"If you want." Masamune sees Ritsu's wandering gaze and squeezes his hand. "Will you be okay in the car?"

"I think so. It's just been such a long time, do you think I might get a headache?"

"Maybe. But you can sleep it off." He grins. "Trust me at the wheel while you sleep?"

Ritsu laughs lightly. "Do I have another choice?" He sighs, "You wouldn't get us into an accident."

"I won't. Actually," Masamune straightened, "I did better than Takafumi on his test. That's why he still insists on walking and taking his bike."

"That cannot be it," Ritsu rolls his eyes. "Stop boosting your ego like that."

"I'm not." The other smiles. "Remember when his mom only sent me pears?"

"She forgot his address so she knew you would give it to him!" Ritsu adds, "And you only kept a quarter of the whole thing cause you didn't feel like eating any around the time."

"But she chose me. She could have just called him but no, she sent them to me. I'm totally the good son."

Ritsu snickers. "The good son?"

"Yes. I even got better grades than him, and I'm in a relationship."

"Hey, Takafumi just hasn't found someone yet." Ritsu says, "And if he doesn't want to find someone, then that's okay."

"Ritsu, you know they still show him postcards of his classmates that married and got kids early right? Almost guilt-tripping, but they understand him too you know?"

"Still..." the brunet wonders, "Do you think he'll find someone on that dating site?"

"Maybe."

* * *

It was around 3 hours later when they finally found what Ritsu wanted along with some other newly obtained belongings. Ritsu barely contained the happiness within him as he walked close to Masamune, holding the clear contained sheets that held the soft fabric.

"Happy?"

"Yes!" Ritsu smiled brightly. "Thank you so much!"

"I should still wrap that though for tomorrow. I expect you to act surprised and clinging to me for the whole day in pure happiness."

Snickering, the turned to him with a raised brow. "The whole day?"

"Okay, just before we leave home and then after we return home."

"You mean, we also have to shower and bathe together too?"

"Glad you asked. You want to do that too huh?" Masamune laughed heartily at the flustered silence.

Instead of answering Ritsu simply looked ahead with his gift, fluttered inside that he actually played along into that.

...

"Sir, can you please take off your hat?" The hostess asks, watching as Ritsu tugged on both sides to keep it on him. When he hesitated at her question, she simply says, "Policy sir."

"But..." Ritsu bit on his lip, his struggle showing as he reluctantly took his hat off. For a long minute the hostess stared, her lips shut tight, holding back her giggling as she looked at the airy, wild mess that was Ritsu's hair. The static electricity generated from Ritsu's walking up to the material of the beanie had made it stand up on all ends. Masamune widened his eyes in disbelief before turning on the hostess with a glare.

"We want a private booth." he hands her some bills.

She gulped, flinching back away as she processed the requests, "Y-y-yes sir..."

After they settled in their seats Ritsu fidgeted uncomfortably and stood. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Ritsu, you don't have to fix your hair. Just leave the hat on."

"I can't it anymore! Maybe I can put some water on it now. I'll be right back," he left at that, and Masamune looked at the empty seat across from him before sighing. He left the table as well to catch up with him.

"Masamune?" Ritsu questioned as they walked into the bathroom together. "You need to go?"

"Nope. I'll help you with your hair." They get to one of the sinks, "Here." He runs some water over his fingers before running them through Ritsu's hair, the latter closing his eyes in reflex when he felt some water fall along the side of his face. "I think you can leave the hat off now," Masamune comments after, seeing that his love's hair looked back to normal with the look it tended to sport nowadays. "Back to normal."

"I should dry it a little though," Ritsu shakes his head once. He wipes away some excess water before walking to the air dryer and drying his hands. Masamune ruffled his hair affectionately before heading out first.

...

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"Movie?" Ritsu tilted his head a tad. "Why?" They were waiting for their orders.

"I was walking down the hall back to my office this one time, and I remember one of the nurses talking about these couple show where the winners are the ones that know each other the most. And you know, I realized a while back that I don't really know everything about you."

"Oh..." the younger trails off, thoughtful. "Um.. I don't think I have a favorite movie, I think. I haven't seen a movie in a long time."

"Then, genre?"

"Genre? Mystery I guess... I'm not much for Comedy," Ritsu admits, "Sometimes I don't understand the jokes or find them funny at all so..."

"What about Horror?"

"It's not my favorite, but I think I can sit through at least half of it. Do you like Horror?"

"Depends. I'm finding myself liking Romance more than the rest."

"Really?" The brunet asks in surprise. "Sometimes I thought you liked Action... or Adventure."

"It's pretty close. There's something about seeing the characters falling in love, and getting a happy ending after all the struggles that gets to me. Then, I think about you and I and... I'm really happy that I fell in love with you," he smiles sincerely, gazing lovingly at his green-eyed lover. "So don't ever think otherwise."

"O-okay," Ritsu swallows thickly at the sudden rush of emotion he felt aimed at him, and averted his gaze in distraction when their food arrived. He recovered soon after, having a question he now wanted to ask. "Wh.. What do you have for a favorite movie?"

"Me? I remember this one movie... But," he concentrated for a fraction of a second before shaking his head, "It's been a long time."

"Then, we don't really have a favorite movie..?"

"I guess not. Now, what about your childhood? Do you remember anything about that boy you met?"

"What boy?" Ritsu looked down at his meal, spoon in one hand. "I don't remember much of back then. I think I also played with more than one boy. But, you asked this the other day too so why-?" He startled as Masamune handed him his cell phone, and saw that Masamune had taken a picture of a picture from one of the albums.

It was one of his small self and a boy, and the photo had a distinct fold through the middle. Ritsu took a moment of silence to examine it while Masamune watched eagerly, waiting for his husband to figure it out.


	28. Chapter 28

"Ah..." Ritsu stared at the photo, a small smile on his lips at a memory. "This was when An and her Dad made Mom and I leave the house for the first time since my father died. I remember An running off to the swings, and her Dad telling me to go play since all I've done since then was just stay in with Mom, reading and watching things with her. And also..."

_"I know it has been almost a year, but you can't allow yourselves to become shut-ins!"_

_Ritsu peered up from his mother's side at the tall, almost unfamiliar man in front of them. It's been a while since he saw his parents' friends. Behind his legs, a little An watched them worriedly, especially after seeing the barely concealed defeat on the face of Ritsu's mother._

_"Tsubaki, I understand what you're going through, but you have to think about Ritsu." He put a hand on An's head and gently ruffled it. "You can't let it start to stay like this, especially at his age."_

_"..." the quiet widow swallowed miserably, her closest hand hugging Ritsu close to her. "..."_

_"He won't get hurt." He said, knowing her thoughts were most likely running that direction. He paused in thought before smiling and gesturing to the front door. "We'll go to that small park nearby for a little bit- get some sun." He looked down at Ritsu. "Is that okay with you? It was fun playing outside, wasn't it?"_

_Ritsu frowned before turning fully to his mother and looking straight at the pattern on her yukata. "You get hurt now if you go outside."_

_"That's not completely true..." An's father kneeled to get to his level. "You can get hurt inside too..." He smiled, bitterly reluctant in his next tactic. "What would your father think, seeing you two sad and cooped up because he left?" He tried hardest to ignore Tsubaki's tense glare as he waited for Ritsu's answer._

_"...He wouldn't like it," Ritsu whispered, shuffling as close as possible to his mother, "He'd be sad like us."_

_"So, what should we do?" He stood back up straight, and gestured to the door. "Get some fresh air! Smile and let him know you guys will be okay!" An nods beside him in assent and mimics his gesture._

_"..." The two gazed cautiously at the front door, lit up almost unusually as if calling them to their fate. "_ _...It's too bright," they both say eventually, cringing away from the father and daughter duo._

_About 15 minutes and a struggle later..._

_"See, it's not that bad!" He smiled at the anxious woman sitting on a bench under the shade, holding her son on her lap tightly. To the older man's relief, Ritsu seemed to be okay with his surroundings, glancing around having not seen this area in a long time. "Ritsu, remember this place?"_

_"Da... Da_ _ddy and I pass by all the time! He likes the bigger park more," Ritsu added, before becoming still and gazing up at his mother in concern. "Are you okay Mommy?"_

_"...I'm," she took a shuddering breath before trying in vain to relax, and instead her breathing became a little panicked._

_"Tsubaki, it's okay!" An's father came forward, a hand on her arm and patting soothingly. Ritsu moved away from her embrace to hug her better for reassurance._

_"Is it too hot?" Ritsu asks, seeing light beads of sweat forming on his mother's forehead. His small hands wipe the sweat off before wiping them on his shorts before fanning her with them. "Mommy, it'll be okay!"_

_"Here!" An ran to them, holding a can of iced tea. "They only had this and soda in the big machine."_

_"Thank you," her father said quickly, taking the can and opening it for the trembling mother. "Tsubaki, here." While she drank, he continued. "Now, breathe slowly, in and out, in and out..."_

_She tried after setting the drink in her lap. However, when Ritsu got off the bench she grabbed his closest hand. "Ritsu?!"_

_"Tsubaki." The single father gently pried her hand off, and she took a deep breath in and out, "He's not going anywhere. He'll be right where you can see him."_

_"Mommy, it'll be okay." Ritsu goes to sit next to her and points to the playground. "I... I'm going to play over there, if that's okay. May I, please?"_

_"..." She sucked in a breath as she looked between him and the playground, torn._

_"Don't worry, Mommy," Ritsu pointed to the plaything closest to them, which was the sandbox. "I'll play right there and make something."_

_"Tsubaki," she looked to see the older man hand her a camera. "You can take pictures of him from here if you want. You don't have anything from the past year right? Try and make new memories."_

_"Mm..." she accepted the small device, turning it on before examining it with a somewhat curious yet reluctant expression on her face. Every other second she glanced up to see if Ritsu was still there._

_"Ritsu, go play, okay?" he nods off to the small child, a smile lighting up on his face seeing the boy running off have some liveliness back in him. Tsubaki stares after him in distress before letting out a breath seeing that he wasn't too far._

_"Daddy," An tugs on his pant leg, "Can you push me on the swings?"_

_..._

_Ritsu took a deep breath, and he felt very... not happy, but excited? He didn't really know._

_Now that he was outside after a long time, it didn't seem too bad. He squatted at the end of the sandbox closest to his mother's view, occasionally glancing back at her while his hand went through some of the sand._

_"Higher! Higher!" He looked up to see An laughing joyously on the swing, her father having fun with it as well. A strange feeling swept through him, and he remembered the last time he was on the swing with his father. He smiled a little at the memory, looking down at his hand running through the sand before taking notice of a boy a little bit away from him._

_'He looks older than me...' Ritsu thought, watching the boy flattening small mounds of sand with a sort of frustrated expression. 'He doesn't seem happy.'_

_'Maybe he can be a friend?' The thought made him happy, 'I never had a older friend before!' He glanced back at his mother, who, upon seeing him look at her, smiled at him before pointing the camera. 'I'm glad Mommy's feeling better.'_

_Facing back to the boy, Ritsu courageously got up to go squat next to him. Realizing that the boy didn't seem to notice him yet, he decided that he should start. "Oh, are you going to make something?" He swallowed nervously, and then remembered something he associated with sand and making things. "I saw on TV that before they build a house they make everything flat and then build. What are you going to build?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"..." 'Oh no...' Ritsu frantically scrambled for something to continue with for his new, quiet friend. Then he remembered about how they went about building the house... constructing it. Getting up, he runs off back to his mother real quick. "I'll be right back!"_

_"Ritsu?" Tsubaki questions, wondering if the other boy bullied him somehow. "What's wrong?"_

_"We're going to build something, like on TV!" He spots some twigs and stones near the bench under some trees and gathered them up. "Now I need water!"_

_"Ritsu, you'll get dirty..." she frets, moving some hair out of his face. "Is he being mean to you?"_

_"No... oh!" he notices a small pail near the corner of the playground. "I can put water in that!" He goes to put the sticks and stones in before bringing it back to his baffled mother. "Mommy, where do I get water?"_

_A few minutes later..._

_Ritsu huffed in a rush for a moment before setting the stuff down one at a time, and he was relieved that the boy didn't go. When he saw the boy look over at the sticks and stones he felt encouraged to speak again. "Mommy says I can use some water, and we have to wash our hands later."_

_His new friend didn't answer, so Ritsu decided then to focus on the task at hand. As he spoke, he gathered the ideas along with his words. "So, what kind of house do you want to make? Or do you want to make something else? I like books, so I think I can make a book. What about you?"_

_"I like books." was the unexpected response, but it made Ritsu happy knowing that his new friend liked books too. "But what do we need sticks and stones for?"_

_"To keep it up! Str... Structure, I think," he hoped he said that right. Splitting the sticks and stones, he organized them along with the water in the pail between him and his friend. "Water keeps it together. I'll refill it when we run out."_

_..._

_After some passing minutes, Ritsu huffed proudly at his creation. He felt he wasn't ready to try and make taller stuff, so he made a sort of... front- top view for people looking over him to see his books._

_"What is that?"_

_'Oh, he's done?' Ritsu thought before he answered. "It's a bunch of books together- Woah," he saw his friend's creation, "You made a tall book! Aren't you afraid it's going to fall?"_

_"No." When he saw his friend look at his creation, probably in admiration, Ritsu himself looked to his mother._ _She was now doing a hand motion from him to his friend so they can take a picture together._

_"I think my Mommy wants to take a picture. Do you want to be in it?" He remembered something on TV about 'photographic consent'. It was always best to ask for permission._

_"...No, thank you."_

_"Oh..." While he was disappointed, he knew he shouldn't complain. Looking to his mother he shook his head, hoping she wouldn't get the message._

_When she looked back to the screen on the camera before pointing back at him, he figured she got it. "Okay," he turned back to the dark-haired boy beside him. "She's just going to try and just take one of me. Is your Mommy here? Does she want to take a picture?" He thought maybe his friend's mom could take one on his behalf so they could have a photo of each other._

_"...No."_

_"Okay then..." Ritsu looked around for any indication of whoever his friend's parent was before finding no one in particular. He wasn't sure, but he felt that his friend was angry. He looked like it too. "Do you want them to? You look kind of angry now." His parents were probably one of those really busy ones._

_"No." Ritsu saw now the visible glare as his friend grumbled. "I'm not angry."_

_"It's okay," he hoped to assure him. "You had fun though, right?"_

_Seeing that the older boy didn't take to the word well, Ritsu continued. "It's okay. You can have fun." He smiled at an idea. "Do you want to break it now?"_

_"Break it?"_

_The small brunet resisted the urge to giggle because of the way his friend questioned it as if it has never been done. He himself never broke anything sand before either, but the idea he had based it upon was something he remembered from his father._

_"My Daddy told me that when he was little that when he'd get angry he would gather up all his energy into his hands and hit a pillow very hard. I don't really do that though, but you can." He pointed to the center of the other's tall book. "Hit it right in the center. Then you can pound on it. I'll pound on mine at the same time. Our family pounds on mochi every New Year's, so I pound very well. Let's count to 3."_

_As he counted slowly, he watched his friend channel his anger as hard as he could. When the other punched through his tall book, Ritsu was amazed at the book's strong structure but nonetheless reminded him and himself, "Now pound on it!" He focused on his own stack of books now, also hoping his mother wouldn't be too angry if he got some sand on his shirt._

_Coming to a calm, Ritsu stared down at his lumpy mound, his imaginative mind wandering to mochi and how he would share this with is friend. 'Sand mochi?' He looked down carefully at the sand and found the grainy texture distasteful. 'I mean, I know we can't eat it...' He wasn't aware he was speaking aloud._

_Turning to his friend for a suggestion, he instead found a smile that got him smiling. "You're smiling!" He can see that the boy seemed astonished that he was smiling, and it made Ritsu all the more happy that his friend felt happy too, even unexpectedly. "You had fun, right?"_

"He was the first friend I made in a long while, even though I forgot to ask for his name," Ritsu smiles in nostalgia, looking at the boy in the photo next to him. "I was really glad I met him, despite never seeing him after that. I thought earlier you meant like at a school or something, not this." He ran a finger along the crease.

"I guess Mom didn't want to throw the other half away. I'm glad she didn't," he now gazes fondly at it. "I can't believe you spotted it."

"Yeaahh..." He looks up to see Masamune grinning at him in a happy daze. "I can't believe it either and I'm glad I did too..." he sighs, and Ritsu sensed a strange air around him. "I love you."

"Are you... are you okay?" Ritsu flushed slightly, at the happy, almost dreamy look his husband was giving him. It was odd to call the look almost cute. "We should eat now huh?"

"No... not yet." The brunet shot him a startled look as he felt a foot nudge his. "Let's just look at each other," he smiles, and Ritsu didn't know what he could do then, with that smile directed at him. He began fidgeting uncomfortably before looking down at the cell phone he was still holding, trying to distract himself.

 _'Why's he being weird?'_ Ritsu peeked up at him before focusing back to the picture on the screen. _'I don't want to say 'It's just a picture,'_ _because it's not, but it's not really something for him to be smiling about. I mean,'_ Ritsu looks wistfully at his younger self and the other boy, _"It's not like he was there..."_

"...?" Ritsu blinks down at the photo, tilting his head trying to make sense of it. _'Wait. He... he wanted to show me this one in particular...'_

...

Masamune watched expectantly, the smile not once wiped off his face as Ritsu went about figuring it out. When he found that photo, a happiness rushed through him that had him thanking fate. He was going to make a copy and frame it among the other photos he planned to frame. This was a great birthday day so far.

"Aah..." He watched as his Ritsu got it; his green eyes widening slowly, and his cheeks tinted pink. Abruptly, he stands up. "I-I'm going to the bathroom!" Before he could even get past Masamune's seat the other pulled him quickly into a kiss.

"I don't think that's a good idea," His dark-haired lover whispered, before pressing another kiss. "I won't let you go in there alone without me, if you get what I mean." He gently let go, with Ritsu stumbling back to his seat, understanding what he meant. Now, both were aware of some of the waitresses watching and Masamune gestured Ritsu to eat. "Come on, it's getting cold."

Nodding, the brunet gave a small smile before digging in.

* * *

 _'It's quiet now...'_ Ritsu thought in the passenger seat. Apparently they were almost 5 minutes away from wherever Masamune to take him. The man himself stared straight ahead, and Ritsu found himself staring at the now bespectacled man. _'He looks kind of cool...'_ He thought again for the second time in the car. It had been a long time since he saw him wear glasses.

"Ritsu, you can stare at me when I stop the car. You're distracting me."

"S-sorry!" He turned back to the front window, flustered.

Masamune side-eyed the younger and smiled, staring back ahead as he let one hand off the wheel to get ahold of one of his. When that warm hand gripped his back he sighed in contentment, gripping that hand back and swinging it a tad to and fro until they reached the destination.

...

"This place...?" Ritsu questioned curiously, getting out of the car a little after Masamune did.

There didn't seem to be some sort of guided parking, and Ritsu didn't see any other vehicle. Following Masamune, the brunet found themselves looking out over some of the city, dark enough for the lights to shine spectacularly from afar. He turned around to find that they were really the only ones up here, despite his thinking that this was a nice place to see in weather like this.

"I wanted to see this place with you."

He looked back to his lover, moving to stand next to him. Smiling, he hesitantly put a hand on his arm. "It's really beautiful out here! The view is amazing!"

"It is, huh?" Masamune chuckled as he looked out to the city. "I'm glad you like it."

Opening his mouth to speak, Ritsu shut it quickly before taking both of his hands to the railing, looking out into the city as well before averting his gaze. "Happy... Birthday..." Ritsu says softly, before turning back to his husband and giving him a hug. His eyes were shut tight in embarrassment before opening when he felt his hug returned with a warmth that made him smile.

"Thank you," Masamune breathed, kissing into that soft hair tenderly before pulling back a little to let Ritsu look up at him. "I'm so happy," he whispers, a hand moving to palm that warm cheek, swiping his thumb along his cheek bone. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Ritsu softly said back, before hugging himself to the broad chest; he wasn't ready to say it with the eye contact intensity quite yet. Giving out a light laugh, Masamune kisses him on the head again before Ritsu turned away from him to sneeze. "Achoo!"

"Ah, let's go home."

"But," Ritsu looks up at him, "We just- oh!" Masamune looks up as well to see what he was seeing. "It's snowing!"

Indeed it was. The two smiled up at the sight for a few seconds, disrupted then when Ritsu sneezed again.

"Home we go," Masamune chuckles, walking Ritsu to the car. "We can come back later."

* * *

Past 10 and out of the shower, Masamune dried his hair with his towel as he walked out of the bathroom. Immediately when they got home, Ritsu rushed him to the room, telling him to take a shower as he got his surprise ready. "Ritsu?"

"Hold on!" Seconds after he heard a loud clatter, he began a rush to go see until he heard Ritsu quickly say, "I'm okay! Don't come out yet!"

Huffing a sigh he sat down on Ritsu's end of the bed, closest to the door. He tries his hardest to wait patiently, and after only one minute he opened the door out. "It's my birthday and I can do what I-" He was pushed back slightly as Ritsu bumped into him.

"Wait here!" Ritsu pushed him in lightly back to the bed and closed the door behind them. "I'm going to shower real quick."

"Aurghh..." The older of the two laid back on the mattress, very much anticipating what he was going to be given.

...

"Okay!" Ritsu announces nervously, leading Masamune out of the room after getting everything ready. To the dark-haired man's surprise, the set up was minimal just as those other years ago. Laid on the small dinner table was a wrapped present and a cake.

He wondered what was done on the cake as Ritsu sat him down; it was one of those small cylinder shaped cakes, coated with chocolate shavings and rough handwriting on the top that said: Happy Birthday! Remembering the clang he heard earlier, he frowned and looked up at his husband. "You made this?"

"Mostly out of scratch!" Ritsu lit up proudly, before faltering and showing a side of his left index finger that seemed to be tinted darker than the rest of his skin, "I only got burnt once."

"Ritsu..."

"Anyway!" Ritsu put one white candle on top before lighting it and rushing off temporarily to dim the lights. "Make a wish!"

"...A wish?" Masamune swallowed thickly now, looking at that bright flame. His throbbed hectically in his chest.

"I know you aren't really into this, but I-"

"No, no," Masamune interjected, grabbing Ritsu's closest hand to him, "I have so much wishes now- so much." He smiled into Ritsu's hand before blowing the candle.

"Masamune..?" Ritsu trails off, when the man got up to turn the lights back on to default. He was then embraced once more, confused but welcoming the gesture.

"Thank you so much." The brunet blushed when he felt that soft nuzzling to the top of his head.

"You're welcome, but," Ritsu tugged him back to sit down and handed him a spoon from next to the cake. "Try it?" He positively beamed when the chocolate oozed out deliciously, and Masamune raised a brow at him. "Do you like it?" Ritsu asks.

Cutting into the cake again for a piece of cake and chocolate, he put it in his mouth to taste and smiled. "It's delicious."

"Really-mmph," he tottered back in surprise, a hand over his mouth now as he tasted the spoonful of cake. "Oh," he smiles, "It's good!"

"You didn't try it?"

"I did on the first three, but," he rubs his arm as he spoke, "First one I think I accidently put in curry, the second I burnt, and the third I put in too much dark chocolate. I kind of put some faith in this one after making sure I organized what I was using."

"Ritsu..." Masamune furrowed his brows, smiling at him softly. "You didn't have to-"

"No! I wanted to, really!" Ritsu gestures wildly, before setting his hands on his gift for Masamune. "I... wanted to do this for you... and improve better. A-after all, I'm your husband! When I proposed to you-no, even before that, I wanted to try my hardest for you..." he chuckles nervously. "And, I have a lot to make up for..." he lifts the gift and hands it to Masamune."Happy Birthday... again!"

"Mn..." The older stared deeply at his love before looking down at his gift, opening it with a flawless rip before taking off the top. He lifted one of the albums and opened to a random page, wide eyed, before looking to Ritsu with an explanation.

"You told me not to pay for anything... a-and," he plays with his fingers, "I thought I'd get your albums from your mother. It..." He looks at Masamune apologetically, "You didn't really hold an interest in seeing pictures of your younger self, but I... I'm sorry," he drops his arms, "I guess I was a little selfish- just a little..." he gulps, "I didn't look at it yet though, because I wanted to look at it with you."

Touched, the older put the album back in the box with a small smile before thinking about something else in silence. "...You actually found her?" Masamune eventually asks, looking down at the contents.

"Takafumi and them helped me. We found out she moved back here, and remarried. I only talked to her for a little bit though," Ritsu explains, "Before she gave me your albums and left in a rush. I didn't see her new husband, so I think he was working then."

"Oh." He scoffs, "Figures. Things never change..." he gazes at Ritsu in concern. "She didn't hurt you or anything right?"

"No, none of that... She just wanted evidence that I was married to you. I let her look through the pictures on my cell phone, and I guess one of them did the trick."

"Did you see which picture it was?"

Ritsu shakes his head. "She gave it back to me right after. I think she accepted me..."

"I see... Well then," Masamune put the box back up the table, reached out towards him, and pulled him closer for a kiss. "Let's see pictures of little me... tomorrow."

"What?" Ritsu glances back and forth from him to the box. "But," he was halted as Masamune got up to put up the cake in the fridge. "It's not that late..."

"Not taking that," Masamune feigns a yawn, dragging him by the arm into the bedroom. "We have to wake up early for tomorrow." His eyes twinkled at Ritsu. "They're planning on lighting up a huge tree down at the plaza, and you wouldn't want to feel tired then, do you?" Other than that, truthfully, Masamune just wanted an excuse to get to bed and lay down with him in warmth for the rest of Christmas Eve.

"They... They're going to light a huge tree?" Ritsu asks, trying not to sound interested as they went to brush their teeth.

"Yep. They're also doing a bunch of present raffles, a decoration station- a lot of things. I think they started this last year, from what Yokozawa told me."

"Oh..." They finished, and buried themselves under the covers of their bed. "How come no one told me?"

"I guess it just never came up," Masamune stretches out, wrapping one arm around Ritsu before relaxing. "Sounds fun, right?" He sighs contently at the warmth.

"Yeah..." Trailing off, the brunet brought himself closer before cuddling into his lover's side and getting comfortable. "I want to do the raffles."

Masamune snickers, "Figures," he kissed the younger on the forehead. "Going to head straight in there huh?"

"Mm-hm.." Ritsu hums, fixatedly messing with a button on Masamune's night shirt for some minutes before laying his cheek against him and closing his eyes. "Good night."

"Sleepy already?"

Receiving an incoherent mumble, the older smiles affectionately before nuzzling into those brown locks and falling asleep himself. Outside, the snow continued to fall silently, stopping hours before Christmas morning.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (NOTE 2014) Also, A/N to READ: Remember the outburst between Masamune and his mother that resulted in him being all angry and Ritsu getting into the accident? To elaborate on that...
> 
> First part takes place in high school, when Masamune lived with Takafumi's family for a while. Then after high school, Masamune got his own apartment while occasionally staying with Takafumi later (after he graduated) in his apartment to study and etc. Ritsu would go over a lot until marriage, where he then didn't have to go over a lot, he was just there now.
> 
> It was around that time that Masamune's mother had called him. Asking him to come live with her for a second time and bugging him with phone calls (first time was before she moved in the first place), to which Masamune had said he would rather go live with his 'father' (either way he didn't want to live with her). Then she blew up on him after another argument and the biological stuff. Then they didn't talk after that. It didn't help that university was stressing him out as well.
> 
> And around those times, he got out to get drunk and smoke and then coming home to Ritsu who was a softie on him, etc.  
> Just to clarify, cause I read back on that and I hope this doesn't confuse you guys. It really helps with the past tense things.
> 
> Happy Early Christmas Chapter!

Christmas.

Masamune let out a airy breath as he turned to his side, a small smile to his sleeping husband- already Christmas was going great.

 _'Time to get busy,'_ he thought, throwing his legs off the bed to sit up. Quietly, he pulled out a small box from under the bed. When he opened the top he grinned, glancing back at Ritsu once before running off to get the day started.

He remembered the first Christmas he had with Ritsu. It was after his mother moved and he went to live with Takafumi's family for the reminder of his senior year. Takafumi's parents were not as busy as his parents were. While home, they simply went about their day like a normal couple while fussing about their only son a little bit (to which Masamune found amusing). For just a small while then, he refused to admit he was a little jealous.

Ritsu visited them that afternoon, to which the latter shook his shoulders in laughter seeing Masamune and Takafumi wearing almost identical sweaters when he arrived, which also by the way was completely coincidental. Masamune couldn't remember half of the conversation about then, but he knew it involved Takafumi's mother finding out about their relationship.

And it wasn't a bad thing, no... well maybe for Takafumi; his mother seemed to question him nonstop as they left him to go on a small 'date'. Afterwards, she was really welcoming towards Ritsu as any other friend of her son whenever she was home. Her husband didn't seem to be any different about it, maybe for the fact that Masamune wasn't technically his son or responsibility.

Hmm... their date. Masamune mentally counted the doors in the apartment before looking back down in the small box. Originally, he wanted to decorate every possible step with mistletoe, but he knew that wouldn't work out. Using two or three doors should be okay... Then next year and the years after that, he could do things like hang the mistletoe over the sinks or over the couch. And the bed too. Yeah...

Their first Christmas date then, Masamune thought back a little, they just went out and hung out. Back that day, he pondered about how it was with Ritsu compared to his girlfriends before him. He had never felt so close to a person before. His high school self couldn't grasp how such a person was still with him.

Actually, even now, he still wasn't quite able to wrap his head around it.

...

Ritsu jolted a little in wake as he felt a poke to his cheek, and he opened his eyes. Groggy, he blinked at the smiling face that was his husband's before he himself smiled in a sleepy daze. It stayed like that for a few seconds until Masamune laughed at the dazed brunet, poking his cheek again.

If it was one thing Masamune noticed well about his husband by now, it was things like these. When he has had a particularly good amount of sleep or dreaming he would wake like this.

Of course, this also meant that Ritsu senses were toned down; he probably hasn't noticed that he was being poked in the cheek, or hearing that Masamune was laughing louder than he actually was.

And that there was a mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Oh well, at least he still has tonight.

"Masamune?" Ritsu began rubbing his eyes, pushing away the finger poking him. "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up," the older replies, getting back off of the bed. "Breakfast is ready."

...

"What's that?" Ritsu questioned, having gathered their presents for the others when Masamune brought out a vaguely familiar-shaped wrapped gift. They were almost ready to leave now, wearing their coats.

"Merry Christmas," was his answer, before being handed the gift. Remembering now, the brunet gave a smile before ripping it open. "Ah," he beamed from the sheets to Masamune. "It's just what I wanted!"

"Oh, it is?" Masamune asks playfully.

"Yes! Thank you!" Ritsu thanks, hugging Masamune with one arm. He looked back to his sheets and zipped it open to feel them.

"That's it?" He looked up in question, watching Masamune frown.

"What's wrong?"

"A half hug? That's it?"

"Huh?" Ritsu looked down to the luxurious sheets and back up to him. "But-"

"No." Masamune grabbed the sheets and tossed them over to the couch before facing back to Ritsu. "I deserve a hug."

"H-huh? But I... and yesterday-"

"And we're doing this again, remember. That half-assed hug isn't going to cut it."

"H-half-assed...? I didn't want to put it on the ground a-"

"But now you aren't holding those sheets now." Masamune opened his arms, expectant. "And I want a kiss too."

"A kiss?!" Ritsu blushes, before looking away.

"How are you still shy about this...?"

"I am not! I mean..." Swallowing, Ritsu moved forward stiffly to hug him fully, giving him a small squeeze. Seconds pass before he raises his head in their position, pulling away slightly. His feet shuffled nervously, and his arms moved forward to wrap his arms around the other's neck.

His lips pressed together tightly as he debated how to start this. It didn't help that Masamune was waiting and watching. Slowly, Ritsu moved his head forward, and his eyes fluttered back from his husband's lips to his eyes. As their noses touched he can feel their breathing; Masamune had his own lips parted in anticipation.

"Hurry," Masamune whispered, his voice a little rough with his wavering patience. "You're killing me here."

"A-ah, sorry," Ritsu frantically says, before touching their lips together. Hesitantly he peeked his tongue in, and Masamune groaned appreciatively before pressing back harder, hoping it wouldn't be too much for the younger.

Parting after a second, Ritsu tried to get his breathing even as Masamune kissed his forehead.

"That was very good," Masamune pecked another kiss, "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"We should get in more practice though." He ruffled those brown locks, "Let's see, what if we start making out an half hour a day?"

"...Hah?"

"But you still wouldn't be really used to that huh?" He pinches his husband's cheek. "What a shy man you are."

"I'm not shy! Maybe a little, but not," He batted the hand away from his cheek, "It's just hard to get used to, that's all!"

 _'Cute.'_ Masamune thought affectionately, nudging the younger eventually so they can get ready and go.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" Kazuto cheers to them, having opened the door. "We have some hot chocolate ready, if you want some."

"Thanks." Masamune says on their behalf, as Ritsu put up their coats.

"Oh, are they here?" They look to see An's father, who they haven't seen as often due to his work schedule. "Ah, how are you two?" He goes to shake Masamune's hand. "Thank you for coming."

"Yokozawa said he was going to be here later," Kazuto begins, as they walk into the living room, "He went with Misaki to visit his brother I think? And then something about seeing his parents for a little bit." Remembering something, he adds to Ritsu, "An told me you have our albums. Did you really just want to look at them?"

"Ah, I was... trying to figure out a name for the baby."

"Eeh? You don't have to go that far!" Kazuto smiles. "We're sure you'll pick a good name."

"E-even if you say that..."

"Just take it easy for now!" he pats the brunet on the back. "It'll come to you."

...

"Making his way into the kitchen, Masamune paused for a moment when he caught eyes with his mother-in-law. She was sitting on one of the chairs at the dining table with her recognizable mug of tea. "...Hello."

"Hello." She watches him for a second before facing down at her tea. "There is hot chocolate if you want some."

"...Thank you," he nods, before heading into the kitchen. He figured it was better than saying 'I know.' An greeted him just as cheerfully as her husband. From the maroon sweater she was wearing, he could see her baby bump faintly.

"Hi Masamune!" She goes to one of the cupboards. "Rittie wants some too, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay!" She picks out two mugs, taking them to the stove. "Some of our cousins are coming tonight for dinner. They really want to meet you guys!" Pouring the hot chocolate now, she continues. "We're so glad you guys are here; we still have some gifts for you two from last time too."

"Okay."

Going her to him now, she hands him his mug of hot chocolate. "Here you go! Make yourself at home!"

"Thanks An."

"You're welcome," she replies, also handing him Ritsu's mug to his other hand. "Mom didn't give you a hard time, did she?"

"No... she actually greeted me."

"Eh? That's good!" An huffs. "She's been so quiet today, we were a little worried!"

"Really?" Masamune says in faint surprise; he couldn't imagine the older woman chatting away.

* * *

It's been some time since he's been around a large crowd. It didn't compare to that convention Shin made him go to. On that note, because it was such a huge gathering, Masamune felt compelled to keep his eyes on Ritsu when he could. To his relief, Ritsu seemed wary of passing through the crowd. When a clicking sound was heard nearby he felt Ritsu stiffen, and he remembered that Ritsu was practically chased by a man holding a gun that probably clicked like that. "Ritsu, are you o-"

"Aww, you can even bring pets to take pictures- look!" Ritsu says to him, looking over at people taking photos; apparently the brunet had only stiffened because the clicking was so sudden and out of nowhere. "Maybe we should call Takafumi and tell him to bring Sorata?"

"You feel okay?"

"Huh? Yeah." Ritsu stares around with a open smile. The excitement of Christmas had him delighted more than fearing any sort of threat. Now resting his eyes on Masamune, he wondered about his husband's attentive expression. "Do you want to go anywhere? An and Kazuto went to get more food just in case more people come, and Mom went with Dad to meet up with some of their friends."

"Oh?" The older man saw now that they were alone amongst the crowd. He had been too occupied with watching Ritsu. "Well..." He spots the bookstore some stores away. "Want to go in there?"

Inside the store, they wandered towards the literature section automatically. From left to right the duo went across the shelves, not yet finding anything they were looking for in particular. Some days ago there were in here, and ended up buying two books before looking into a nearby library.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Masamune says to him when they got to the end of one shelf. "You want to come?"

"Ah, no. I'll wait here."

"Okay. Careful then," he says, looking behind him once before heading off. Waiting now, Ritsu followed him a little, and stopped around the manga section.

 _'It's really decorated around here,'_ Ritsu thought, walking up to a stand with a rabbit-fairy plush that was presenting some shoujo manga. _'I think one of An's old friends liked this type of manga...'_

 _'Oh?'_ A stand away, he spotted the familiar chibi chef that was 'Za Kan'. _'Just released Christmas Special until closing?'_ He can see that the books on the stand was almost gone. _'Would Misaki like this?'_ They had already gotten him something, but- he jolted out of his thoughts when a group of passing boys grabbed most of them, leaving the last one.

 _'It's all or nothing!'_ Ritsu went forward out of impulse, his hand gripping on one side just as another hand got to the other side.

...

Walking back out into the shopping platform, Masamune kept his eyes out for his husband. Immediately he spotted him, and was surprised to see him in the middle of what seemed to be a last book-grab tie. However, it worried to see that Ritsu's opponent was a man a little taller than the both of them. The man also seemed to be annoyed with the predicament. He tugged at his tie slightly with a frown, and Masamune slowly walked towards Ritsu in fear that the guy was going to get uncharacteristically rough.

"I'll pay double." The man bargains, his face cool and collected.

"U-uh..." Ritsu notices Masamune close, and explains, "I thought Misaki would like this..."

"We already got him something though."

"But, it's a Christmas Special!"

"It's important that I get this," the man begins, "It's for the person I work with, and he couldn't make it so on his-"

"Tori! Hah... Tori!" They turned to see a shorter man rush to them, wearing a face mask and a carelessly slapped compress around his head. With a ragged pant, he spoke more slowly. "I... You didn't answer... your phone, I..."

"Yoshino, what are you doing?! How did you get here in your condition?"

"Tori..." The sick man begins, breathing hard, "I preordered it online..." He shakily takes the evidence out from inside his coat, most likely having hugged it close as he ran. "I got it right after you left... So, you don't have to..."

"...Yoshino." The tall man simply says, one of his eyes twitching in annoyance. Sighing, he gives up his end of the book to Ritsu. "I'm sorry."

"I tried calling... I called so much but you didn't answer, so I thought..." he notices Ritsu and Masamune and recalls their meeting. "Oh... You're... Are you getting it for..." he manages to remember with his tired mind, "Misaki?"

"Yes... We're going to be seeing him later so I thought I'd get this for him."

"Oh... okay then." After a long pause and a cough he continues. "Can I come see him with you guys?"

"Yoshino, you should be in bed." Tori fusses, tugging Chiaki away. "You can see him with you get better."

"But..."

"Bed, Yoshino. I'm going to have to re-warm your soup too." Tori prompts, leaving no argument.

As he was tugged away Chiaki waves weakly to Ritsu and Masamune, too tired to fight back.

Waving back, Ritsu couldn't help but feel worried. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I don't think that other man is going to let him do anything until he does." He grabs onto Ritsu's hand once more. "Let's go pay for that before another person tries to get it." However, at the register, it happens. Again. Right as Ritsu brought out his wallet, another man rushes in with one keen glance to the empty manga stand to the book about to be paid for in Ritsu's grasp.

"I'll pay you ten times the price for that," the ash blond man declares to the brunet, ignoring the shocked looks from the nearby workers. The cashier woman was frazzled now, wondering if she could maybe pull a risk and get the apparently rich man to pay them instead of the customer.

"He got it first," Masamune tells him, almost fed up with people coming in late and trying to buy their way out. Granted that it's been just two men, but still.

"Please, it's for my best friend's little brother. I'll pay twenty times."

"I'm sorry, but this is for our friend, and he is a really huge fan of this manga!" Ritsu hands his money to the cashier. Tongue-tied, she glances from them to her co-workers, troubled until she noticed Masamune glaring hard at her and faltered nervously. Her hands trembled as she took Ritsu's money to the register.

"Is there any amount that could suffice?" The rich man asks.

"No." Masamune glares. When Ritsu turned up next to him with his paid item, he quickly links their hands together before leaving the store with the man walking after him.

"I'll pay anything, please."

"Sorry, but no." Masamune replies.

"Please. I'll pay in compensation- money can be given as a gift for Christmas. Your friend can buy another manga later."

"Augh..." Masamune turned to Ritsu. "We already got him something," he says quietly, "Let's just give it to him so he can leave us alone."

"But," Ritsu begins, before his shoulders slumped. That was true, and- he glanced over at the man who was waiting for them. He seemed unusually determined to get this... Sighing now, he goes to hand over the manga in defeat. "Here."

Obviously happy at this turn of events, the man took it with a smile. "Thank you so much," he says gratefully, before his smile quickly wiped off upon seeing Ritsu up close.

"? What is it?" Ritsu stared in question, and faintly he recognized the man with an astounded expression. "You're Usami Akihiko!" he smiles, "I think I only saw you once in a while on the back of one of your novels years back, so I didn't recognize you at first!" From the back of his mind he asks some things he's been wondering about for a while now. "I... I heard you became an attorney? A prosecutor? Why? Are you doing it for a new series or something?"

"...Yes," Akihiko says eventually, then taking out his wallet. "I also wanted... to try something different. Here," he hands Ritsu some bills. "I've got to go, so thank you very much for giving me this."

"Oh, it's..." the brunet trails off as Akihiko departs quickly into a crowd ahead, "No problem...?"

...

"Let's go," Masamune came up to him, grabbing his hand. "We should meet up with-" he looks down at the bills in Ritsu's hand. "Was the book that much? How much is that exactly?"

"Huh?" Now he looks down at the amount, surprised when he flipped them over and ran through about 8 banknotes of 10000 yen. "Oh..."

With a frustrated sigh, Masamune took the banknotes and put them in Ritsu's pants pocket before getting him into a walk. "Let's go."

"Wait! I'm keeping them?!"

"Might as well. I don't think he'll take it back no matter how hard you try."

"Ah Masamune, it was Usami Akihiko!"

"Oh? Wait a minute..." Masamune pauses in thought. "He said he was buying it for his best friend's little brother?" He frowns in realization. "Damn it."

"What?"

"We just wasted our time. Auggh..." He pulls Ritsu along, annoyed with the pace that they were going. "Let's go. You wouldn't want to miss the raffle entry, do you?"

* * *

For once, Ritsu didn't really feel excited for raffle. _'What am I going to do with a heavy tool kit? Or a huge TV?'_ Those prizes had gotten him to be wary of the 1st prize, which was a surprise. _'What if it's some sort of year supply of fruit?'_

Next to him, Masamune had already gotten his copy raffle ticket. "You entered?"

The older raised a brow. "What do you mean? You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but the prizes..."

"You don't want a new TV?"

"We hardly watch the one at home."

"Well, we can sell it or give it away," he nudges the brunet, "We still haven't gotten anything for An and Kazuto for their marriage."

"Do you think they'll want a TV?"

"Sure." Hearing his cell phone ringing, he picks up. "Hello?" As he turned away to talk to whoever, Ritsu put in his raffle ticket. Receiving his copy, he gazed down at the numbers. He didn't linger on that for long though, because moments later he notices from the side of his eye Masamune putting up his cell phone.

The older man seemed perturbed about something, looking up at some of the windows of the shops with a second story. He turned his head to face him. "Masamune?"

"Haitani just wished us a Merry Christmas."

"Really?" Ritsu scanned the upper buildings as well before giving up when An and the rest of them arrived.

...

10 minutes until the lighting of the tree, mostly everyone was gathered towards the center of the plaza. Raffles were being called out at the moment. Apparently, there were more 5 more prizes to the raffle, and the first 2 aside from the surprise were simply a sneak peek.

Thankfully for Ritsu, the tool kit was up first and given away to someone that wasn't him. The television was given away to someone who looked like he just got out of his shift at the police station (meaning he was in uniform).

He couldn't help but feel so hopeful that he was going to win something. Prior to this they got croquettes and he dropped his when someone bumped into his, so wasn't it okay to hope- to be confident that he was going to get something? Maybe he had gotten some odd confidence from those sheets.

He wasn't that hungry enough to buy another... but he still wanted some bites. They couldn't eat that much anyway since dinner was going to happen later so Masamune was sharing his with him. To be honest though, he didn't know which was more embarrassing: that he was actually sharing food in public with him, or that Masamune wouldn't let him hold it in favor of bringing it to his lips himself and watching him.

Oh yes, An's close by giggling made the before mentioned much more embarrassing. "Masamune, can't I just hold it?"

"Why?" Masamune held on stubbornly, playful. "It's my croquette."

"B-but..." Ritsu sighs, "Fine... I'll just get another one." before taking out his wallet and walking off to the stand that they had bought it from.

"Ritsu, wait-"

"It's fine," Ritsu says over his shoulder, "I'll be right back!"

The journey wasn't really far. He made it there after almost 2 minutes. As he waited in line, he wondered if he should get a small taiyaki instead. He hasn't ate one in a long time. Plus, it was smaller in proportion to the croquette.

 _'It's so good warm...'_ Ritsu thought when he bit into his purchased taiyaki; he realizes then that he was really hungry.

Walking back to where Masamune and the rest of his family was, he wondered if anyone of them won anything.

"Ritsu," Masamune calls in relief as the brunet comes to stand next to him. "You bought taiyaki?"

"Yeah-" he jumps a little as the latter takes a huge bite out of it. "Hu-huh?!"

"You ate most of my croquette. Compensation," he says, before turning to the center; the one announcing the raffles rang another number.

"No I didn't! I only ate a little..." he pouts before munching on the rest of it. Alas, it wasn't even a second in and already he finished it, much to his disappointment. Taking out his wallet again, he went back to the stand for more small taiyaki. One more small one should be okay; he still wanted to be hungry enough for dinner.

"Again?" The vendor laughs amiably, handing Ritsu what he wanted.

Something seemed to have happened when he walked back to An and them, because Masamune was gone. "Where did Masamune go?"

"Ah, Rittie?!" An strayed towards him. "Are you okay? Where did you go?"

"I just went to get more taiyaki..."

"Really?" she sighs, "He got really worried all of the sudden, it scared me!"

"Huh?! Did he go looking for me?"

"He tried to, but Mom ended up winning something and he had to help." She smiles warily, gesturing to the center of the plaza, "She won a year's supply of canned peaches!"

"Oh..." _'Mom, I am so sorry.'_

...

"You feel okay?" Masamune asks him. "Sorry you didn't win anything. You were so excited for it..."

"No, it's fine!" Ritsu says, before giving an apologetic smile. "I'll try again next time! Besides," he worriedly eyes his inwardly debating mother, "I think we're all going to win something after today..."

"I think they're getting ready!" They hear a guy, and watch along with everyone else as the ones working the lights prepared to begin.

A series of awes rang around as the tree's lights illuminated upwards towards the top. Red and gold ribbons shimmered along as the lights reached full power, and silver bells and hanging trinkets glowed with a soft shine. Not to mention that the tree's huge size contributed to the wonder of the human eye, even when it didn't reach past three stories. It was still big.

Sitting at the top of the tree was an ornate star, bigger than their heads and streamed with both silver and glass. As the light reached it's peak, the star glowed so wonderfully. It faintly reminded some of the full moon seen through thin fog, a shine that wouldn't hurt their eyes with its brightness. Ritsu couldn't contain his beaming smile as he gazed at the tree, mesmerized.

This tree was put through so much effort by those who made it possible. He felt happy that he was able to see it. With a jolt he remembered he can take photos, and brought out his cell phone. His hands were shaking a little in rushing until Masamune aided with his own hands. "Thanks." He notices that Masamune did not have his cell phone out. "You don't want to take a picture?"

"Nah, I already took what I wanted when they lit it up." The older smiles softly, bring their hands together. "...Merry Christmas."

Ritsu's eyes widen before resting them with a smile. "Merry Christmas!"

* * *

It was almost 4 in the morning when they came home. Ritsu's eyes threatened to close as Masamune guided him through the dark to their bedroom. He wasn't used to staying up this late. At this point apparently, they left their coats and baggage behind in the gekkan.

After being set on the bed he felt Masamune draw away from him. Minutes later he felt something warm and wet being wiped across his face. His socks and belt were pulled off for better comfort and flexibility. Masamune was oddly quiet.

"Masamune?" he felt arms wrapping him close- a kiss to the forehead.

"Good night."

He could barely hear that quiet tenor, tired compared to the arms that worked to keep their embrace close. Ritsu struggled to keep his eyes open, staring across from him at his sleeping husband. He straightened his form, stretching some of his tired muscles.

Finding himself facing the ceiling, he tilted his head seeing something strange hanging. _'What is that?'_ Blinking for about ten times his sight adjusted. His lowered lids widened when he realized it was a mistletoe. _'How long had that been up there?'_

Was his husband planning something for when they came home? He turned to his original position, facing his husband but now with a troubled expression. _'What should I do?'_

 _'It's no good if he's asleep, but...'_ he shuffled closer, _'It won't be 'Christmas' anymore when we get up.'_ With that set in mind he brought his face closer, his breath lingering in short, anxious breaths before pressing his lips against his love's.

"Sorry I'm late," he whispers, pulling away softly before snuggling in closer, relaxing gradually against the other's form.

He mistook those rapid heartbeats as just his own.

Masamune's lips curve up lazily into a smile, just as awake as his sleepy lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note 2014-)Next chapter is towards New Years, and you'll see what gifts they got from the others!
> 
> Again, I'm so sorry, so sorry...  
> Man, I really might have light insomnia though... Dx  
> I tried some warm milk, and I fell asleep about an hour later. I feel fine now, but I think I should keep it up. I want to be able to sleep peacefully! I'm going to try and continue this. I'm also taking walks.
> 
> I still keep feeling this ache in my chest though once in a while... I think my body is going through a bad phase :/  
> So to help that, I start knocking on wood whenever my mind goes towards sad thoughts, and I'm doing more physical chores to keep my mind busy... (T_T) I need to chill.
> 
> Stay in good health guys! Sleep on time! At least 5-7 hours, a good 8 if you're lucky!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note 2014-)*hides under some blankets* I... I'm sorry.
> 
> Pleasedon'tjudgetoohardcausethischaptermaybealittleM! I tried.

This wasn't a good way to sleep. Masamune groans as he turns over, confused when he couldn't feel his cell phone on the nightstand on his side. Faintly remembering that he and Ritsu had come home straight to bed, he reaches into his pant pocket, finding the sought for object to look at the time.

6:39 AM

Masamune frowns. It was too early for this, being the day after Christmas- not to mention they had come home about two hours prior. Setting the phone down on the nightstand, he turns back to Ritsu. However, it felt uncomfortable and too warm. Sighing, he sits up. After taking off his shirt he tosses it towards the closet before shrugging off his pants and tossing them as well.

 _'That's better,'_ He stretches, laying back down to sleep. Bringing an arm around Ritsu he took notice of the warmth emitting from the younger's body. He was warmer than usual. He brought a hand to the brunet's forehead, frowning at the body heat that was warmer than usual. Accounting for Ritsu's even breathing however, Masamune then assumes that it was simply just too warm. Or maybe he is going to get sick? The older was brought back into pondering. _'We did do a lot today- yesterday,'_ he thought, _'And we didn't shower either...'_

Eventually, he came to the decision of stripping Ritsu to his boxers just like him. They can both cool off and get warm together.

It would be around 12:52 PM when Masamune wakes up again.

To his concern when he looked up at the Ritsu, the younger was breathing a little harshly now, his face tinted a faint flush at the fever that had hit him.

"Ritsu," Masamune gently shakes his shoulder. "You have a fever."

"...Hnnh ...?" Ritsu rubs his eyes, confused when he felt himself being lifted slightly by his lover. "Masamune?"

"Let's take a shower."

...

"It's cold," Ritsu shivers, his legs feeling slightly weak as he continued to stand.

"Good. Shows you're not too feverish." Masamune says, tugging Ritsu further as to get more water on him. Relief gradually came as the water grew warm. With one hand on Ritsu arm, he used the other to push those brown locks back so it wouldn't get into Ritsu's eyes. "Warm enough now?"

"Yeah-" he turns his head to sneeze, covering his mouth with his hand out of habit until he felt his head lathered with shampoo.

"How bad do you feel?"

"Not that bad... I just feel tired." He closes his eyes after feeling some of the flowing shampoo hit his eyes. "Can I rinse now?"

"Oh, here," Masamune switches their positions so Ritsu can get most of the water. As soon as he did that he used one his hands to push back Ritsu's hair again, watching as the water flowed down in many directions down his lover's body. "..."

"Done," Ritsu threw his head back, wiping some excess water off his face. Now he grabs the shampoo bottle, feeling a little excited at the aspect of washing Masamune's hair. "My turn," He turns to the taller, stopping in his action of opening said bottle when he saw that look on his husband's face.

Oh, how he knew that look. As if he weren't already flushed from the warm water.

 _'We're in the shower...'_ The brunet tries to think rationally, _'We could slip and fall or worse!'_ He swallows, _'And the water will get cold and I don't want to do it with the water-'_

"Ritsu?" He jolts in place, almost dropping the shampoo bottle. The look in Masamune's eyes were washed over with worry and amusement. "Are you going to wash my hair or not?"

"Aah! Sorry," he fumbles for a moment, putting some shampoo on his hands before placing the bottle back and reaching up to get to his current goal. To compensate, Masamune lowered himself slightly, his eyes closed and smiling the slightest bit. Ritsu couldn't help but feel guilt stirring inside his chest.

He wanted to make Masamune feel good. Whenever they touch like this already the older smiles, and while Ritsu was happy Masamune was smiling, a part of him wondered if Masamune... sort of resigned to himself that touching like this was as far as they can get. Ritsu hoped that wasn't true.

For months now it felt right. It still felt right. As long as he was with Masamune in general he was okay. He was sure Masamune felt the same way too, but different from him the older was more... active. Not like he wasn't that much as active- he's a man too- but... Ritsu pauses.

Maybe he was the resigned one.

 _'I'm also sort of sick today but we can still...,'_ Ritsu trails off in thought, using his hands to guide the water through his husband's dark hair to rinse. _'Still, he'll probably focus on something else other than...'_ he bits his lip, his head downcast until he saw it.

His lover was hard. It twitches once as if to affirm to him that it was. He blinks at it for a moment, disrupted when Masamune turned to rinse his hair more thoroughly with his own hands.

"What do you want for breakfast? I..." The man continues on most casually, and Ritsu moved a little while he was talking to look at the neglected member. _'He's ignoring this like it's nothing,'_ Ritsu wavers, _'How many times has he held back? Or maybe it's cause it's morning? But...'_ he peers up at that oblivious face who was staring ahead for some odd reason.

Finally, a flash of a irritated expression made its way across Masamune's features.

 _'Should I...?'_ Ritsu averts his gaze. He swallows hard before looking up at Masamune, waiting for the man to look back at him. "Masa... Masamune?"

"? What is it?" His heart thuds in quick beats, and he looks away from the gaze. That irritated expression was taken over by a warm curiosity, wondering what Ritsu wanted from him.

"Um...! I," his breath hitches, "C-can, can I- I mean we..." He didn't know how to say it, he didn't know the words. How should he approach this? "You... You're holding back, huh?" Masamune looks down at it as he did.

"It's nothing."

"T-that..." Ritsu hesitantly reaches out for it. "We can-" he startles when a hand grabs his by the wrist, firm.

"Ritsu," Masamune began in a quiet tone, tense. "You're still not-"

"No, I'm okay! I... I can..." his lips press together, and he manages to lightly graze Masamune's tip. Masamune sucks in a breath. "I want... you."

...

"Ritsu..." Masamune grit his teeth, trying to will most of his urges away. He wasn't sure how much more he can take. He gazes at that determined yet embarrassed expression.

He wanted to make love to Ritsu so badly. But not now, not in the shower. Someday though, yes, he wanted to do it in the shower- and the bath- and other places. This time though it would be their first time in how many months, years...

He wasn't sure he could go steadily or gently if he got Ritsu to that point. He wanted to kiss him hard and mark him everywhere. He yearned to press that body tightly against his while he-

No. He exhales, becoming nervous at how rough he wanted to be. He should start slow... baby steps.

"We should get out now..." Ritsu trails, a little dejected due to Masamune's thoughtful silence.

"No, Ritsu," Masamune turned to turn off the water before bringing Ritsu to sit down with him.

"Wha- what are we...?" Ritsu found himself sitting in front of Masamune on his lap, his own legs moved to hug around Masamune's torso. His hands were brought up to Masamune's stiffening cock. He jolts at the heat, swallowing down the rising warmth in his lower regions.

"Do you remember?" Masamune guided with his fingers, his breathing gradually growing heavy with pleasure. "Touch me like this."

"U-uh..." Ritsu flusters, his hands pumping in changing speed because he wasn't sure which one to stay on. Hastily he glances to Masamune's face and back.

"Like that," Masamune pants, his hands moving with Ritsu's. "Harder." He withdraws one hand to squeeze Ritsu's awakened member, earning a gasp. He watches eagerly as it hardened with his touch.

"Masamune," Ritsu moans, putting his head forward on the older's shoulder, shuddering at the sensations. His grip on Masamune's loosened for a second before trying to continue, and instead tightened his grip. Masamune's hips bucked, the latter holding back a cry as Ritsu began to slowly run his hold down his cock, torturing him.

"Oh god, Ritsu, Ritsu," he bucks his hips once more, wanting more friction. "Faster..."

"Sor... Sorry," Ritsu breathes, trying hard to go as fast as he can. This went on for another minute, and Masamune uses his other hand to tilt his love's face up to kiss him. Ritsu melts, his moaning smothered while his hands began to slow, reminded to keep going every time Masamune thrust his hips.

He felt he couldn't keep it up however, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed at Masamune. He wanted to wrap his arms around him. "Hah... Masamune," Ritsu whispers, their lips parting to breathe. "Masamune."

"What?" The older whispers back, their noses touching. His eyes widened when the brunet drew closer, breathing growing excited as he felt Ritsu's arms wrap around his neck, the hold of his legs around his torso tightening. They kiss again, at ease as they change their angles. Masamune presses his kiss with gradual pressure, his hands now gliding along Ritsu's bare back.

He moans in pleasure feeling Ritsu's hand in his hair, massaging and tugging on his dark locks. "Ritsu," he sighs, slowly lowering Ritsu back on to the shower tile. They continue on their kissing from there, and Masamune uses one of his hands to keep himself up as he ground their erections against one another.

In the back of his mind, he knew they couldn't stay wet like this for too long. They needed to come and get out of the shower.

* * *

"Someone sure built up an appetite." Masamune playfully says, chuckling as he watches Ritsu eat. The brunet was unusually lively for someone with a light fever. "This is the first I've seen you get seconds."

"Really?" Ritsu set his chopsticks down, thoughtful. He stands up, moving around to Masamune. "Stand up."

"What? Why?" He did so, raising his brows when Ritsu tries to lift him. Alas, he wouldn't budge; he did stay still for another how many seconds though until Ritsu gave up, shoulders slump. Now he seemed just as tired as one with a light fever. "You okay?" The latter was back in his set, eating in a dejected manner.

"I need to exercise more..."

"Oh no, you did enough for today. Let's just put everything up; that'll be your extra exercise."

"Ah!" Ritsu remembers, looking back at the pile near the front door for a moment. "We have to go pick up some peaches later too huh?"

"I think I can give some out to everyone on my floor at work if she wants," Masamune crosses his arms, contemplating. "They're sending it to her in loads twice a month so I think it can work."

"What can you do with peaches? All I think of is baking and just eating it..."

"Yeah... just eating it. You don't even have to peel them, just wash them I think."

"These are in cans though... they're not exactly fresh-fresh."

"Oh. Then baking I guess. I've never really eaten a peach before."

"Me either..."

"That's right," Masamune recalls, "They got you an iPad," 'they' referring to An and Kazuto. "Let's look it up."

"They got 'us' an iPad, and, can't we look it up on our phones?"

"Nah. We have to start it up anyway, so let's do it."

...

"This game is weird," Ritsu mumbles, leaning over against Masamune as he watched the latter play. "Let's just move on to another game."

"No." He looks to see that angry, focused expression. Ritsu slightly feared for the surface of the iPad.

They had forgotten about looking up information about peaches.

Deciding to put everything up himself since Masamune was occupied, Ritsu went back to the pile that they had moved to behind the couch.

Misaki had gotten him the first five volumes of 'Za Kan'. Moved to the night stand on his side because he was going to read it later before putting it with the other books in Masamune's study.

His stepfather got him an inflatable mattress, and it along with the box was the heaviest thing in their load on the way home. Ritsu didn't know if they were ever going to use it or if more than one person would end up sleeping over at their place. He'll put it in their closet next to the suitcase.

Ah, one of his mom's friends gave them vegetables. He takes the bag full of them and puts it in the fridge. Hopefully they won't go bad that fast.

And one of An's friends got them bathrobes...

 _'Hmm?'_ Ritsu picks up one bag that was a little flashy, not recalling this gift as his or Masamune's. _'Did we accidently take someone's gift?'_ Reaching in, he picks up the object with one hand before spotting the tag at the handle of the bag and reading it with the help of his other hand.

[To Kazuto. Don't miss me too much~ Love, Kai] _'Huh?'_ Ritsu read in confusion. _'Why did-'_ He looks up at the object.

"AAAAAaaahhhh!"

Masamune jolts from his game playing, setting it aside quickly to get up on the couch and look over. "Ritsu-?!"

There was Ritsu on his left towards the bedroom, on the floor and scarred for life. And on the right-

Was a long, cactus-shaped dildo, vibrating after the switch clicked on upon being dropped on the floor.

...

"I'm so sorry!" Kazuto cries through Masamune's cell phone, the latter wincing and deciding to put the call on speaker. "It's a gag gift thing we started in college! And last Christmas I sent him a huge cucumber with big lips on it! I'm so sorry! I was wondering why I couldn't find it when we were cleaning up!"

"Can you come get it? Ritsu is still shaken up." The brunet was on the couch with him, his head on the older's lap. He was curled up holding a pillow, trying to will visions of his future brother-in-law and his best friend away as Masamune's fingers stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry! Tell him I'm sorry! It really is just a gag gift!"

"Aren't dildo's like that expensive?"

"Oh, we give back the gifts on our birthday; that dildo probably belongs to him. He likes doing stuff like that with his girlfriend."

"..."

"AAahhhh!" Ritsu cries, wildly getting up and running to the kitchen sink to wash his hands for the second time. "I touched it!"

Hearing him, Kazuto apologizes again. "I'm so sorry, Ritsu! Don't worry, Kai sanitizes like everyone else!"

"Too late for that," Masamune says, frowning in worry watching Ritsu wash his hands again for the third time.

"Is there anything I can do to make up for it?" Kazuto asks.

"Can you just come take it away? Or should we drop it off?"

"Oh, well, we were going to ask you guys if you want to come eat dinner with us. We have a lot of leftovers since last night, and um... Mom made things with peaches."

"Ah, so this is where it starts," Masamune says, a hand on Ritsu's head when the said man came back to lay back on the couch with his head on Masamune's lap. "How many peaches did she end up using?"

"I don't know. She already seems sick of it though."

* * *

"Hi guys!" Kazuto greets, before seeing the wary look given to him by Ritsu, who seemed to be sticking against Masamune's side. "Don't stare at me like that!" he cries, not wanting his in-law to stay away from him. "It wasn't even my idea! I just thought it was funny!"

"Just... just give me a few more hours," Ritsu says quietly, not really wanting to look at him for the moment.

"Here," Masamune hands him the gift bag.

"Thanks." he takes it, walking them into the living room before sprinting upstairs to put it up.

"I think they're all in the kitchen," Masamune says, since it was bare of anyone but them in the living room. Heading towards the kitchen they stop. The smell of something sweet seeped powerfully through the swinging door, and they warily stepped through.

"Ah, you guys are here!" An greets, handing them a spoon. "There's plenty for everyone!"

"But what about dinner?" Ritsu says.

"We ended up finishing everything from breakfast to lunch with Mom and Dad's friends!" An gestures to the many peach-filled dishes. "Eat all you want. Take some home too!"

"You can pickle peaches, did you know that?" They look to Tsubaki, pouring something into jars. "Even canned ones. Fufufufufuu..."

"M-mom?" Ritsu says, worried.

"Dried peaches have such a nice texture," they look to An's father, who seemed strangely content. "Not too crunchy, not too chewy."

"Help me," An whispers pleadingly, and Masamune resisted the urge to take Ritsu out of there.

...

Thankfully, they managed to take only one box of 18 cans of peaches home because Ritsu couldn't lift the other box.


	31. Chapter 31

"Hmm...?" The next day, Ritsu woke up blearily. He felt weak but why? Coughing a few times, he gazes around the room to realize that the light in the room was off, but not out there in the living room. His forehead felt nice and cool, but on the inside, he felt a faint pounding of an headache. Suddenly, he felt the graze of a arm that was laid over his stomach.

"You awake?" Masamune voice rang, a little too loud for Ritsu's ears. The presence beside him left now, and seconds later the light turns on, prompting the brunet to groan and avert his eyes. "Sorry," he brings back his gaze to Masamune, who was now walking to his side. "You really have a fever this time."

"It... it was the peaches..."

"Or the small snowball fight we had on the way home," Masamune chuckles dryly, moving Ritsu's bangs away from the compress on his forehead. "Sorry. I shouldn't have rubbed that snow on your head."

"No, that... that can't be it," Ritsu says, remembering that. "One of the peaches tasted weird."

"Does your stomach hurt?"

"No... but I'm not hungry."

"That's not good," Masamune turned to leave the room. "I've got some soup warmed up from this morning; you have to eat."

"Huh?" Ritsu had to raise his voice to reach Masamune who had left, wincing at his voice, "How- How long have I been asleep?"

"The whole morning and most of the afternoon. It's almost 4 now."

...

Masamune couldn't help but worry.

This was his first time taking care of a sick Ritsu, and the man didn't want to eat.

"I'm really not hungry," Ritsu repeats again, grimacing when Masamune forced a spoonful of soup in his mouth. Unwillingly, he swallowed the contents. "No more..."

"Ritsu, you didn't eat this morning. You have to eat."

"I'm not hungry," he turns his head away from Masamune's spoonful of soup. "I still feel full from last night... I'm not hungry!"

"..." Masamune pulled back, looking at the bowl of soup on his lap. When Ritsu coughs, a little too harshly from his point of view, he puts the bowl aside on the nightstand before offering him a glass of water.

"No, it's fine," Ritsu sniffs before laying his head back on his pillow. "I'll just sleep for now. I think I'll be fine in a few hours, don't worry-" he pauses as Masamune cups his cheek, staring into those worried eyes before he caught himself, pressing his touched cheek against his pillow to avert his gaze. "I'll be fine, really..."

* * *

"One time when he was sick, he didn't eat until the next day," An says to him from the other line. Masamune couldn't help but call her with his nagging worry. He wanted to help Ritsu get better. "He says he still feels full right? Sorry about that..."

"Did he really not eat until the next day?"

"Yes, he wouldn't eat at all. We were really worried too- we thought it was maybe food poisoning or something. He should be fine though- his body just hasn't digested fast enough, I think. If he feels full still that must be it. Sometimes Mom is like that too when she doesn't feel well."

"I see."

"Please don't be worried too much. Rittie will be okay- he's stronger than you give him credit for. And you're taking care of him too, so he'll definitely be okay." She giggles, "This is the first time that you call me like this, I've never heard you sound so worried before. Even at the hospital, you never sounded like this. Ah, but, that's only when we're around, huh?"

"...Yeah," he slowly admits, remembering, "Yeah."

"Ah, sorry. You aren't worrying even more are you? *crash* Aah! The cans! The cans!"

"What?" Masamune frowns, hearing more sounds of crashes. "An?"

"Sorry, Masamune! I have to hang up now, I need to call recycling!" She hangs up.

 _'...Recycling? All those empty cans of them at the side fall or something?'_ He faintly recalled the stack of cans being almost as tall as the Christmas tree still up in their living room. _'Hope she's okay...'_ He set his cell phone on the coffee table. Hearing a small cough, he looks over at the bedroom before getting up and going in there.

He seemed so small on their bed, almost curled up at his edge of the bed. Giving a small smile, Masamune prods him a little. Eventually, he manages to move the brunet closer to the center of the bed. In his sleep, Ritsu frowns slightly at being moved before stretching a little, mumbling incoherently before falling back into his soft snoring.

 _'What should I do now?'_ Masamune wonders, scratching the back of his head before retreating to the living room for a few seconds to grab the ipad. Sitting back on Ritsu's side of the bed now since the latter was in the middle, he pressed on an app and began playing.

...

Around 5 hours later...

"Hnngh..." Masamune was roused from his long nap, and concern ran through his features when he saw Ritsu's pained expression. The younger was curled up, his arms assumedly hugging his stomach.

"Ritsu?" he reached out this shake Ritsu's shoulder, "Ritsu."

"Hn..." The brunet's eyes opened, quickly shutting tight at the pain from his stomach. Eventually he staggers up and out of bed, groaning. "My stomach hurts..."

Masamune got up after him, helping him to the bathroom. "Want me to come in with you?"

"Ha-hah?!" Ritsu flushes in embarrassment. "No!" Despite the situation, Masamune laughs before closing the door for him.

 _'I should make something easy for his stomach,'_ he thinks, heading to the kitchen with the ipad. _'I ended up eating most of the soup anyway. I think there is some rice left...'_

Half an hour later he was finished with their late dinner, casting a worried gaze towards the bedroom. Ritsu hasn't come out yet. _'That must suck...'_ Masamune himself hasn't had a stomach ache in a long time. He hoped for Ritsu that it wouldn't come to appendicitis somehow; he can see it happening, so he hoped it wouldn't.

A while later he heard a door opening and closing, and watched as Ritsu emerged from the bedroom. A little wobbly, the brunet fell onto the couch purposely, laying there in silence. Raising a brow, Masamune went to him. "Ritsu?"

"I... I don't think I want to eat at all anymore," Ritsu hugs himself, breathing in and out with a shudder. "I think I'll just sleep."

"It doesn't hurt around here, does it?" The older presses his hand gently on Ritsu's stomach, around his navel. "Does it hurt anywhere around here?" The hand went to his forehead, the compress having been discarded hours ago when Masamune took it off before his long nap. Ritsu's fever seems to have died down.

"No, I feel fine now, just..." he bites his lip, "I don't want to go through that ever again."

"Was it really that bad of a crap?" Ritsu nods, miserable thinking about it.

"Well, you aren't eating any peaches anytime soon." He helps him off the couch onto a chair at their dining table. "I'll make some hot chocolate too if you want."

...

"What should we watch?" Masamune asks, flipping through the channel. Beside him, Ritsu sipped on his warm hot chocolate, careful not to spill it on the couch.

_|Ah! Usagi-san, what do you think?|_

They froze at the particular channel with the anime, seeing the Misaki look alike.

"A-ah, I remember passing by this when Sorata was here. Only for a little bit." Ritsu quickly says before shutting himself up with hot chocolate.

 _|Misaki, you'll never look as handsome as you are cute|_ Says the Akihiko look alike on the screen, wrapping his arms around Misaki from behind, hands to his tie, _|You even tied this wrong, let me do it for you.|_

| _Us-usagi-san-!|_

"What kind of name is that?" Masamune mutters, not sure whether to turn the channel or not. This was becoming too strange for him.

| _It's been a few months since I've been living with Nii-chan's best friend, the author Toudou Akihiko...|_

Masamune flips the channel. "..."

Ritsu swallows, wondering. "Do... do you think that..."

"...Yeah," Masamune stops for a moment at a cooking channel. "I knew something was up when he really wanted to buy that book." There was no question how the author even had a hand in making this anime. They just knew.

"'For my best friend's little brother...'" Ritsu recalls, sipping in between. "Should we-"

"Nope." He continues to flip through channels. "They'll figure it out."

"But..." Ritsu wondered what was so wrong in warning Misaki. Did Misaki even know that the author was interested in him? "Can we maybe... not tell him, but yet... can we just tell him to turn the channel if he's watching it? Just so he can see it?" He sees Masamune's cell phone on the coffee table and trades his hot chocolate for it.

"Oh, you're going to use my phone?" Masamune sets his remote down, having stopped at a variety channel. He lays back next to Ritsu. "For each letter I get one minute of kissing."

"Hah?!" Ritsu flusters, blushing. "But I'm still-"

"You're not sick anymore. Even if you were still sick," he playfully smiles, "I said one minute of kissing, but I didn't specify where." He watches as that face reddens further. "So? Are you going to tell them?"

"..." Ritsu presses his lips tightly together, thinking hard as he looked down at the screen. Misaki and them were probably still awake. Calling them might be easier, but he wouldn't be able to count his words correctly as he spoke. On the other hand, was all this really a big deal? Would Misaki even want to know if he didn't know? But what if Misaki didn't like the author like that? He had his rights to know as well right? He didn't know how this worked...

_'I- Maybe I can just tell him I found an interesting show that has someone that- no, that's too much letters.'_

"Seeing as you're thinking of what to tell them, you want to kiss me?" Ritsu startles. "You like doing things the hard way huh? You know you can kiss me whenever you like right?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I just really think Misaki should know about this, that's all!" He looks back at the text messaging screen, contemplating for a moment before putting in: 'Turn to channel ###'

"How many letters?" Masamune tries to look over, only to have Ritsu turn it away from him. "Oh? Did you put a lot?"

"..." Ritsu swallows in hesitation before he swiftly turns himself, pressing his lips fleetingly to Masamune's cheek. He didn't know why he did that.

"..."

Brows raised in pleasant surprise, Masamune looks at him in silence before grabbing the cell phone. "H-hey-!" Ritsu protests.

"Let's see... This is phone is model 5, 6? Times that with this, and Sorata's age, and we got it."

"Hah?! That's too long!" _'And why Sorata's age?!'_

"We better start now then," Masamune says, tossing aside his phone before he pounced.

* * *

Takafumi was a grown man.

That was what he convinced himself of, and was currently wondering how he came to this situation. The situation of arguing with another grown man about owning a cat.

On the internet.

He didn't want to think this was sad in a way. This guy was just being childish though; his daughter sounded responsible enough to own a cat. Takafumi wondered how such a man (older than him) had the gall to involve mathematics as a reason his daughter couldn't own a cat because of her grades in that subject. Well, considering parenting, her raising her grade first might be best, but that shouldn't involve her being able to take care of another living creature.

 _'She even cooks most of their meals right? And she's 11!'_ Takafumi couldn't help but think the other man was a little hopeless.

Yes, they were on a dating site, but this wasn't like that. They were simply internet comrades, pulled together through a chat along the lines of 'My friend put me on here but I'm not interested in a relationship right now'.

On their profiles they just put their last name, so all Takafumi could call him was Kirishima. The man was apparently an editor of shounen manga, and their birthdays were pretty close.

*ding ding* Next to him, he looked to see Misaki's cell phone buzzing.

"Misaki, your phone-" he hears the shower running and sighs, eventually picking up the phone himself to look at it. "Masamune?" Wondering what his friend wanted of Misaki, he looked to see.

"Channel ###?" Takafumi says quietly to himself, perplexed as he grabbed the remote on the side of the couch while still balancing the laptop on his lap.

 _|Misaki, I love you.|_ Takafumi froze.

Oh no.

| _Us-usagi-san...|_

| _Please, call me by my name... Just my name only...|_ The Akihiko on the screen presses his palm on Misaki's tear-stained cheek, caressing it softly before he-

"What the hell?!" Takafumi turns the channel frantically. Why, why now? How much did Masamune know?! How did Masamune find this?! Why-

"Mr. Takafumi?" Misaki walks out in his yukata, a towel on his head. "Did you call me?"

"I-It's nothing!" He quickly grabs the cell phone and deletes the message. "Just remember to keep your phone somewhere safe. Someone might sit on it."

"Ah, sorry..." Takafumi hands his cell phone to him. "Oh, Mr. Takafumi!"

"What?"

"You know the GPS app? I was out the other day after giving away some peaches, and something weird happened!"

"Oh? What was it?"

"I was a little lost so I looked at the app, but the strangest thing- it kept showing Mr. Akihiko everywhere I went. I called him too, but he said he was at home like always. Weird huh? I didn't realize that things like this also make mistakes."

 _'He was lying! You couldn't tell?! Well, you have no reason to think that but...'_ He feared what would happen if Misaki ever found out. Especially with what he saw in that room at the author's place*, he couldn't risk having Misaki close to that man. He had to go with his protective instincts.

"Mr. Takafumi, do you like this person?" Misaki sees the screen, familiar with the name of the man he sees on it. "You chat with him a lot."

"No. Strictly friends."

"I see..." Misaki expresses some concern on his face before he gets over it. "Well, generally, you don't need another person to be happy right?"

"Yes, exactly," Takafumi nods, agreeing. "And it's not like it's lonely in a way."

"Not lonely at all!" Misaki agrees.

"Guys!" Masakazu comes through the door, ecstatic from his date. "We're officially dating! She said yes! Being in love feels so amazing!"

"..." Misaki and Takafumi stare at him before looking downcast, dull.

"..? Huh? Did something happen?"

"Mr. Henmi..." Misaki says, giving him a small smile. "Congrats!"

"Yeah, treat her well," Takafumi says, and they both turn away from him, oddly feeling saddened.

 _'What did I do?'_ Masakazu wonders, worried and a little frightened. _'Why do they seem sad?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note 2015-) lol They feel like they're losing him. Masakazu is Henmi's first name, but it just feels weird huh? Henmi is Henmi...
> 
> *Months back Misaki told his brother he was going to stay with Takafumi, and they met up at Akihiko's place. Looking for the bathroom as Misaki talked with out with them (Takafumi came for support), Takafumi stumbled upon a room that had pictures of Misaki, dim-lit romantically with incense. It was kind of creepy in a way.
> 
> BUT what he doesn't know is that the room previously was Takahiro themed, but it was small and sort of a shrine. Misaki walked in on this one a little bit before the first case. So as of right now from those many months back he has absolutely no clue that Akihiko is in love with him.
> 
> Misaki just thinks of Akihiko as his brother's best friend that used to be in love with Takahiro, and that he's weird and a little mean (since Akihiko was prosecuting him and trying to get him guilty in the first case against Takafumi. He had a sort of crush on Akihiko before, but he pushed those feelings away. They don't meet too much in here, so those feelings were successfully pushed away.*
> 
> Now, do you still want them together in here? XD  
> Ahha I sort of combined Junai and Junjou, where their names are different yes but Misaki calls him by his Usagi-san nickname.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)It is... December 28 in this chapter yeah? 26 they are home then back to the in-laws, Ritsu eats too much peaches...  
> 27, last chapter, Ritsu has a fever, makes a recovery...  
> Now here. Yep. Going day by day...

A chill woke Masamune up the next morning. He notes that it was so cold, Ritsu was tightly against him on his own accord. The brunet seemed to be trying hard to stay in his dreams, his brows furrowed and his lips struggling to shut tight.

Masamune rubs his face with one hand while the other sought out his cell phone, looking to see that it was almost 9 in the morning. Yawning, he put his cell phone back before pulling the covers up more around him and Ritsu. He was not in the mood to get out of bed.

"I think everything's out," Ritsu whispers, awake an hour later. Together, they can hear some of the surrounding neighbors from above and below leave with their shut doors along with the loud slam of the emergency stairs.

"Yeah."

"What should we do? Should we go to Takafumi's?" He was referring to the first time for them when the apartment's power went out years back; they had gone to Takafumi's for a few hours.

"Power's probably going to be back on soon," Masamune yawns, before bringing Ritsu into a snug embrace. "Let's sleep in."

Two hours later...

It wasn't back on. Masamune frowns deeply before gazing downwards to Ritsu's face. The brunet sleeping once more had his lips quivering, and his brows struggling to stay still. The temperature had really gone down in the last hour. Reluctantly, he de-tangled himself from Ritsu and promptly wrapped the blankets around him before moving to look out the window. Outside, the weather seemed... fine?

 _'What...?'_ He goes around to leave the bedroom, heading to the front door to see if anyone left any sort of information. This could be a in-building problem.

And it was. He picks up the paper on the ground that had come through the mail slot: [Power will be out for a few days. Please go find somewhere to stay until this problem is fixed. - Landlord]

Sighing, Masamune tosses the paper on the coffee table before heading back to Ritsu. Getting on the bed, he sits off to his side and grabs his cell phone.

He honestly didn't want to go stay at anyone else's place right now. Checking in at a hotel sounded fine, but he can see Takafumi or An catching on somehow and asking him why he didn't go to them... which was tiresome for him right now. The cold was making him more tired than usual, and his decision making...

"Ugh..." He goes to his contacts and presses call.

"Hello?"

"An," he takes a deep breath. "The power here is going to be out for a few days, can we-"

"Yes, yes! Get over here as soon as you can okay? We're getting lunch ready, so come join us!"

"Ca-"

"You guys are fine in Rittie's old room right? I think that bed can fit both of you... We some extra futons too if you want. Why don't you guys stay until New Year's?"

"Ok-"

"We're also going to this party that night as well, you guys should come too. All of us are going since it was one of Daddy's co-workers that invited us. A lot of people will be there!" Masamune pressed his lips tightly, growing annoyed with his sister-in-law's lively chatter. He was not in the mood. "There's going to be fireworks and open vendors- I mean, it's going to be cold out there so maybe more people will stay in the building-"

"We'll go, An. I need to go pack now," he guesses so, ruffling the back of his head as it itched.

"Ah okay! Where's Rittie? Can I talk to him?"

"He's sleeping."

"Still? This is not a time to sleep in!"

"We just feel really tired right now. We'll be there soon. Can I park the car there?"

"Ah yes, but on the right side because Daddy just went out."

"Okay," he yawns. "See you."

After he hung up, he moves on to the closet to bring out the suitcase from the back. Setting it open he stared down at it for a moment before choosing some pants and sweaters and other necessary clothing to go in. Once he was done with that in a matter of minutes he swiftly goes back to Ritsu's side under the covers. He earned a few minutes break.

Alas, Ritsu woke due to his movements. Rubbing his eyes for some seconds he then drowsily stares at Masamune. "Masamune?" He was responded to with a hand through his hair in an affectionate ruffle.

"Sorry I woke you up. You can go back to sleep."

"I shouldn't..." Ritsu sits up slowly, rubbing his eyes again. "I already..." he trails off, blinking aimlessly down at the blanket over him before plopping back down and cuddling lazily towards Masamune. "Good night..."

Laughing, Masamune gets up, pulling him out of bed. "Okay, now we have to get up. I don't want you sleeping through the day."

"But, it's so cold!" Ritsu complains, trying to break free from Masamune's pulling before he noticed the filled up suitcase. "Huh? Why is that out?"

"Ah, the power's going to be out for a few days. An said we can stay with them until New Year's."

"Really?!" Ritsu exclaims, before gazing at the suitcase in thought. "Are we going to stay in my room? Will the bed fit both of us?"

"Obviously. It did last time, didn't it?"

"But we'll be sleeping though! Maybe I can borrow a futon or bring the air mattress with me..." He takes notice of Masamune's stare. "W-what?"

"If we can sleep clinging to each other, then we can do it again. Besides, it's your bed. Why are you the one going to sleep on the floor?"

"B-because you're a guest... technically... It's only right that I give it up to you."

"What a gentleman. You do know that we're a package deal now right? You're just as much as a guest."

"But I used to live there! It's only right!"

"Sure, sure," he ruffles that mop of brown hair while heading to the bathroom. "Come on, let's get ready."

* * *

The snow had reached almost 2-3 inches on the grass from what Ritsu could see as they passed through a neighborhood. Facing forward on his seat, he looks to his husband once or twice, watching the bespectacled man focus on the road ahead of them. _'That's right... I never really asked him about his glasses...'_

"So," Ritsu began, "When did you get glasses? I just realized I don't know..."

Masamune glances to him silently, and Ritsu wondered if he asked something he shouldn't have asked. "W-what is it?"

"Nothing." The older man focused back on the road. "I never did tell you, did I?"

"What happened?"

"Well..."

_Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep..._

_Masamune frowned at the noise, his eyebrows struggling to untighten in relaxation as he woke. His head up now, he blinked down at his hands before remembering where he was._ _'Ritsu...' He gazed at the unconscious man that was laid before him, one of his cheeks lightly scratched from the cement he had fallen on and IV's on each side of him connected to his wrists._

_"Ritsu?" He breathes, reaching over to brush his bangs away from his eyes._

_No response. He swallowed before rubbing his eyes in frustration. However, after a while, he realized of the slightest blur in his when he looked down at the warning label on the side of the bed. He simply just rubs his eyes again, counting this as part of stress from what has been happening._

_"Masamune." Said man didn't have to look up to see that it was Takafumi._

_"Go away," he stared and grabbed onto Ritsu's limp hand that was closest to him. This way, he didn't feel like trying to punch a certain somebody again._

_"We both wanted you to focus on your exams." Masamune pressed his lips tightly together at that, growing agitated since he was still mad about that. "Please, come get something to eat. Visiting hours are almost over too. You have to also do something about school, don't you? You got everything you need and passed those exams, so just go graduate and-"_

_"I'm staying."_

_Takafumi sucked in a breath and sighed. "You know you can't. Eat, and then hurry up and head home."_

_"No." Instead of a reply, he was nudged with a clipboard. "...What?"_ _"There were some things An and I couldn't answer on here. The nurses said since you're his husband they need your signatures on some things."_

_Lips pursed, Masamune scanned the papers with narrowed eyes, tired. Takafumi took notice when Masamune kept flipping the last two pages back and forth with squinted eyes. "Is something wrong? You keep going back and forth."_

_"Nothing, just," Masamune turns the clipboard to him. "These letters are too small. Did that guy put you up to this?"_

_"...? You mean Dr. Haitani? No." Takafumi read it over. "What do you mean it's too small? It's for 'office use' anyway, so you don't have to go over that..." He trails off with a thoughtful silence, and hands back the clipboard. "You studied all that week right? With the light on?"_

_"Huh? What does that have to do with this?"_

_"Just answer me. How did you study?"_

_"Like I normally do." Masamune rolls his eyes as Takafumi stared him down more for a further explanation. "At the table with the light on. On the couch with the light on. In bed with the lamp on. At the desk with the light on. Want me to keep going?"_

_"How close do you read with the book open?"_

_"..." Masamune caught on, displeased with the notion. "I don't need glasses."_

_"Reading glasses at least."_

_"I don't need them." Masamune musses with his own hair. "Those words are just so small."_

_"They're not, Masamune." Takafumi says, "Getting reading glasses should do. Since you have to go home anyway, I'll take you to go get some."_

_"I'm staying."_

_"Still here?" They look to see Shin entering with a nurse following behind him. "This is Eru," he introduces her._

_"Nice to meet you," Eru bows in greeting, shy, before looking at Ritsu, curious and wary. "..."_

_"Don't be shy," Shin gestures her forward. "This is one of your patients now." He grins at the two men. "She's new."_

_"T-they don't need to know that!" Eru says, hoping they wouldn't think of her as incapable; she was just wary is all. Especially when she heard that the husband was not in the nicest mood._

_"So, I can hear from outside," Shin sits down at a free chair near the door. "You need reading glasses? You better go get them. We wouldn't want our new doctor messing up cause he couldn't read something right."_

_Takafumi scratched the back of his neck nervously as Masamune stared at Shin. "...What?"_

_"Ah, your friend never told you huh?" Shin says gleefully. "You're going to work here! After a small internship period of course, since we want to see how you handle everything."_

_"..." Masamune glares at Takafumi. "What?"_

_"Come now, don't be so angry!" Shin begins. "Don't you know what this means? You can see Ritsu when you're able!" Masamune reluctantly turns back to him. "And if he wakes up, you still have a job! A win-win situation, am I right?"_

_"Dr. Haitani." Takafumi warns, mindful of the 'if'. However, Masamune didn't seem to have listened further than the fact he would be able to see Ritsu more while on the job._

_Shin waves Takafumi off. "Just being real with you guys. Don't take any offense to it. You guys best be leaving now, don't you think? Go get your glasses and get all that university stuff over with."_

"So it was around the first year I was out?" Ritsu asks, not being able to see the flashback.

"Yeah. But it really pissed me off when I couldn't stay after hours on my internship unless it was an emergency. I felt like Haitani got a huge laugh out of that whenever someone caught me trying to sneak back in."

"But it was only for a few months, right?"

"Four months actually, since Shin and some other doctors had a meeting due to some staff stuff. But it felt like a long time Ritsu," Masamune exhales, taking one hand off the wheel to grab one of his. "Second month in I figured out how to avoid certain security points."

"T-that's not good!"

"Actually, it was pretty cool. It felt like one of those things I saw on a commercial- like this one video game."

* * *

They were greeted by An. "Hi guys! Food is ready, so just go and sit down!"

"Ah, thank you!" Ritsu says, his arms back as Masamune was pulling off his coat. He goes ahead after his jacket is removed. "I'm starving!"

"Ehh..." An eyes Masamune, her tone playful. "You're not feeding my brother after being in bed all morning? What kind of man are you?"

He gives her a grin, deciding to play along with her. "The one who prefers to keep him in bed and-" he shuts up.

"Huh? What-" she startles after she follows his gaze, flustered seeing her step-mother. "U-uh..."

She stares them down, wary of her daughter from another mother. "An...?"

"W-we're playing, we're playing! Honest!" She laughs shakily, pulling Masamune in by the arm. "Let's go eat!"

...

 _'So good...'_ Ritsu thought happily, fond of the soup Kazuto had made. Since he heard nothing from An so far, he looked across from him to see An and Masamune eating quietly. They seemed tense though. "Is something wrong?"

"N... Nothing's wrong!" An says, before she and Masamune continued eating looking more tense than ever.

"...?" He didn't have Kazuto to turn to in confusion since the man was still in the kitchen.

"Ritsu," he turns to face his mother, Tsubaki. Sitting next to him, she began taking a napkin and wiping the side of his face. There wasn't even anything on the side of his face and lips. "You'll tell me if anything is bothering you, right?" Masamune stiffens when she sends a quick glare at him. "Anything?"

"I-I will..." Ritsu wondered where this was heading towards.

"And you're feeling alright?" She sets the napkin aside before putting a hand on his side, concerned. "You're not hurting too much, are you? Being in bed all morning..." An gapes at her.

"Sleeping in, Mom! They were sleeping in!" She flushes, while next to her Masamune put a hand over his face, stressed and amused at the same time. His shoulders shook with restrained laughter.

"I... I don't..." Ritsu trails off with creased brows, putting a spoonful of soup in his mouth while watching whatever was happening unfold. He didn't understand what Masamune found so funny.

* * *

Later that night...

"Tsubaki..." An's father tried to pull her along gently. "Let's go to sleep."

"Let me check up on them once," she asks of him, before shaking him off and walking off. He follows.

"They won't do anything," he says seconds later, having reached the room. He watched as she peered in with the skills of a peeping mom.

Frowning in concentration, Tsubaki managed to find an angle to see Ritsu on the bed with the covers over him. Ritsu was on the side of the bed that faced out to the rest of the room while Masamune, she assumes correctly, was on the side touching the wall.

They were murmuring something very quietly, that she couldn't hear, and Masamune had an arm over Ritsu. Ritsu himself was facing away from him, looking down at the pile of books near his side of the bed. Were they talking about the books? Before she could try and watch further, she was pulled away, and the door was shut with the faintest squeak.

"See? They're not doing anything. Let's go." He tugs her away towards their bedroom without complaint.

However, this meant they were going to miss what happened right after the door was shut.

"Did you hear something?" Masamune asks, looking towards the door.

"Hmm? No." Ritsu rotates back towards him with a book in hand. "Here. The one I forgot to return to you."

"Wow." Masamune takes it in hand and flips it open to the ending. "Are you sure I didn't just let you have it? This ending was a little too sappy for me."

"I don't really remember. Oh," Ritsu recalls a bit. "We found it that one time we were eating at that fast-food place on the window sill."

"Oh yeah... ha, wait," Masamune flips back through the middle and laughs. "This was the one with that really bad sex scene."

"I think I just skipped over that," Ritsu reaches up and turns back some pages to a certain passage. "I... I think I skipped around here."

"'Tsukai wiggled his eyebrows suggestively like flexed arm muscles as he eyed Kimura with his dark obsidian eyes full of lust. "Let me show _you_ a whole new world." Kimura blushed in all shades of pink like a freshly captured salmon as she was pulled in through the painted red door full of sins and wonder, and her hand more than ready to run her hands through that patch of grizzly hair-tamed jungle and grab that ragin-" Masamune stops reading aloud, an eyebrow raised feeling Ritsu shaking beside him as he laughed.

"Something funny?" he asks despite knowing so, and found himself gazing fondly as Ritsu continued to laugh until his cheeks were flushed. Eventually it ceased, and the brunet's breathing softened, tired. "...Done?"

He began laughing again; for him, it was so bad it was funny. Shaking his head, Masamune got up to switch off the lights. After snuggling back in bed, he chuckled at hearing Ritsu finally sigh, breathless. "Are you good?"

"Yeah..." he then reciprocated the kiss he was given. "Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)I thought of doing a flashback chapter... but I'm not sure what it would be about...
> 
> Did I make any errors? I re-read this for a while now and fixed some things, but I'm still not sure.  
> As far as Ritsu's mother Tsubaki is concerned right now, Ritsu is a little fragile right now, and understands he isn't exactly dominant or as strong like Masamune is (meaning, she knows that he is most likely the bottom).
> 
> In a sense, she wants him to have more initiative, but yet she doesn't. This is because she refuses to imagine her precious Ritsu jumping that messy looking man she had reluctantly accepted into her family. (Messy cause of the dark hair).


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note 2015-)The next day, the 29th!
> 
> Also, I'd like to say that if you were to imagine An's father and Ritsu mother (also Masamune's mother and other parents), they don't look old old. They just look a little older, still pretty hip and all that jazz.
> 
> Ritsu's mother in here tends to wear a yukata/kimono.  
> Like, imagine the parents of the young adults in dramas. Or your parents (I'm aware this all depends on your parents. I do not know what your parents look like.) I mean, you guys know Fuyuhiko. Kind of like that. Slightly younger than him.

Masamune never dreamed he'd be waking up in Ritsu's room. It's as if they were teenagers again, but not in a way that they had to hide anything, or get embarrassed. Well, Ritsu will probably be a little embarrassed, but that was because he was shy about these kinds of things. Having woken up first, the older spent his time watching his sleeping husband, occasionally playing with his hair.

It wasn't cramped at all; the comfort of the heat beside him pressed against his body fit so nicely there was no way he had any complaints. This was the best.

This day, then three more days until he goes back to work. The next year, he would have to pace his vacation days now throughout, since Ritsu was up. He couldn't spend it all on his birthday to New Year's, as convenient as it is. He was grateful he didn't have to show for any emergencies.

 _'Knowing him, he's going to try and find a job later,'_ Masamune thought, gazing at him. _'We can walk out together, and maybe come home at the same time and cook together... shower together...'_ At first he didn't really want Ritsu to work in fear he would get hurt, but... It wouldn't be fair to Ritsu if he held him back like that. He was going to look forward to seeing what Ritsu was going to do, and helping him when he needs it. Also, he was more than happy to dote on a tired Ritsu... Masamune's mind began racing into many, many interesting scenarios...

A "...ne" brought him back to reality, and he looked down at that sleeping face. The brunet's lips were lifting up into a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Masamune smiles, gently pinching his cheeks. "Dreaming about me?" he lightly jokes, since it wouldn't be the first time. To his inner enjoyment, Ritsu giggles with a full smile. It made his own smile widen, and he couldn't help but laugh a little as well.

"Masamune..." His laughing died down, and he stared, his lips parted as he continued to wait and see more of whatever else Ritsu was going to say. However, that seemed to be it for now. Ritsu merely shuffled closer against him with a sigh and Masamune can feel himself melting inside. It wouldn't be the first time; even in his sleep the brunet can manage to pull him in.

...

"So what should we do?" Kazuto asks them all. There was a light blizzard outside the afternoon, so they were left in the living room after lunch.

"Let's stretch," An's father begins, looking over at Ritsu dozing off beside Masamune. "Ritsu's getting too tired for his age."

"H-huh?" Ritsu blinks himself awake after Masamune nudges him. "I just ate too much, that's all..."

"Still, Rittie," An says, "You're weaker than me. How long has it been since you exercised?"

"Maybe a few days..."

"That's no good!" An marches over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him off of the couch. "Let's go! I'll hold your feet while you do sit-ups."

"An," Ritsu whines, on the floor with his knees up and his feet pressed down by her. "Now? We just ate!"

"10 minutes after lunch should be fine," An urges him to start. "15 sit-ups, now!"

Left out, Kazuto goes to pull on Masamune's hand to get him off the couch. "You too, Masamune!"

"...Fine," Masamune follows along reluctantly, despite grinning down at Ritsu as he went to sit alongside him. Maybe this could be fun.

"Ah, why not?" An's father mimics the two, with Tsubaki holding on to his feet. The older woman sighs at their activity, having secretly wanted to nap much like her son. A nap really sounded nice...

About 40 minutes later, they were all napping on the floor after switching sit-up positions at least 5 times.

* * *

4:36 PM

"Ow..." An's father stretches thoroughly after he manages to stand properly. "Can't sleep on the floor like we used to, huh?" A hand out, he helps Tsubaki up.

"Only because we didn't grab a pillow," she mutters, stretching. "We are not doing this again."

"Oh come on, it was fun. Next time, we'll bring the pillows down."

"Hmph," she huffs, tired. With one glance down at her 'kids' she turns and heads into the kitchen. "I'll be making tea."

"Okay." He says after her, staring at her back before looking out the back window with a wistful look in his eyes. Promptly, he follows after his closest companion.

"What is it?" she asks, upon hearing his entrance. When she felt arms around her waist and a chin nestling aside her head she pauses with her tea leaves.

"Let's go on a date." He softly requests. "The kids won't be waking up for another hour anyway."

Tsubaki scoffs, resuming getting her tea leaves together. "They're hardly kids. What reason do we have sneaking out?"

"How long has it been since we walked together without company? I'll go get your coat." She freezes at the peck to her cheek as he retreats.

"That man..." Tsubaki mumbles with the faintest blush, turning on the stove with her water in the tea kettle ready to the side. "...hmph." Now this meant she either had to put a timer so Kazuto could wake up and turn it off, or turn it off when they were going to leave.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He pulls her along, enjoying the sun's rays shining on the snow and ice. The previous weather left a wonderful white wonderland. "Not too terribly cold, is it?"

"No..." He looks back to see her gazing down at the glistening sidewalk before noticing his watching. "What?"

"The light hits it just right, doesn't it?" He walks beside her to properly hold her hand. "Shall we head to the end of the block?"

...

At the end of the block, they sat at benches for people to wait for the bus. Today though, there were no buses to be seen in this part of their neighborhood.

"This is nice," Tsubaki comments. "I think the snow is melting into my boots."

"Me too." A comfortable silence settles between them. For a few minutes they watched as a small bird tried to get into a snow covered tree. It was helped when another bird crashed its way out from the other side. "Are you feeling alright?"

Oh. The tired mother wrung her hands together, understanding now that he had a small motive to this on the side. They haven't been truly alone together like this in a while. Like always, she tells him what has come to her mind recently.

"He loves him so much." She looks down at her hands. "I have been so rude to him..."

"I'm sure he will forgive you."

"That part of me though, I can see him... it's an uncanny resemblance. I get worried that I'll meet him again. It's happened two times now lately that I've had dreams of him trying to get me to go somewhere with him to talk."

"He... he doesn't do anything to you, does he?"

"Oh no, of course not. He wouldn't hurt me or Ritsu... It had taken me a long time to understand that." She sucks in a breath. "Can we stop here?" She whispers, leaning against him. "I don't want to remember that right now."

"Okay." Carefully, he gets her standing and up walking with him again. "Let's go."

"W-what?" Tsubaki stumbles a tad, leaning on him with her arm around his. "Where?" They weren't heading back home.

* * *

_He wondered if she was doing okay today. Ritsu too. It's been a few days since that day at the park._

_"Daddy!" Out of his daze, he looks down at his little daughter. Beaming, she holds up a tie. "I'll put this on for you!"_

_"Haha, okay," he pulls her up on his lap, allowing her to put it around his neck. "Not too tight," he reminds her, as the last time she did she pulled a little to hard._

_"Not too tight," she mimics, nodding. After the deed was done she hops off his lap to look up at him proudly. "Good!"_

_"Nice job!" He thanks her, ruffling her hair gently, making sure it wouldn't get too messy. He did not want to go through an hour of doing that again. Once a day was enough for his not-so-nimble fingers. To the mirror, he straightens his tie by the slightest in habit._

_"Daddy, can I go stay with Ritsu and his mommy instead of Grandpa and Grandma?" She asks._

_"Nope; Grandpa and Grandma have been looking forward to this." They walk out of the bedroom. "You don't want to go to the zoo?"_

_The expression on her face told him she forgot all about that. Just weeks back his little daughter was jumping in anticipation for this day._

_"Can we take Ritsu and his mommy?"_

_"I don't think so," he says, "But we'll go visit after breakfast okay? Then I have to go drop you off."_

_..._

_'Did something bad happen?' He rang the doorbell again. No one was coming to get it. "Tsubaki?"_

_"Rittie!" An knocked on the door. "Ritsu!"_

_And he spotted it. Two green eyes looking at him from a nearby window. Seconds later, the door opened slightly, and Ritsu peeked at them. "H-hello..." It seemed like he was searching for something behind them._

_"Ritsu?" An stepped closer to the door. "What's wrong?"_

_Slowly, Ritsu opened the door, and to the father's surprise, the little boy was wearing his pajamas still. Frowning, he walked inside when he was welcomed in with An._

_"We saw someone weird_ _..." He looks down at the small brunet, and noticed now the distanced look in his eyes. It was unusual for a child. "We were eating... and he was outside. Mommy took me upstairs. Mmn..." Ritsu looks around, as if suddenly aware he was down here. "I don't remember how I got down here. I was with Mommy in the closet. Mommy?" He called, as the older man rushed past him to get upstairs, louder now. "Mommy?"_

_"Tsubaki?!" The older man called. "Tsubaki!" He opened the door closest to him upon reaching the second floor. She wasn't in the bathroom._

_"Mommy?" He looked to see Ritsu walking off to what was probably the bedroom. Following, he beat Ritsu to it and opened the door._

_It was clean. Why did it look so clean? Baffled, he tossed the sheets aside on the bed and then looked down under the bed. Spotless. Standing back up, he looked at the dresser, the window... not a speck of dust in sight._

_"Mommy?" Turning, he went over as Ritsu opened the closet door._

_She wasn't inside. Ritsu moved some clothes on a rack across and across to make sure she wasn't hiding behind it. Really, she wasn't in there hiding. Before the older man can leave the room to go look in the other rooms, Ritsu suddenly fell back on the floor, trembling. He bent down to grasp the small shoulders in security. "Ritsu? What's wrong?" Seeing that the little one was staring so shockingly at something he followed the stare to the carpet. There was nothing wrong with it._

_"I don't see anything." An says, pouting, but she then cocks her head at it._

_"What is it?" He asks his daughter. He didn't understand._

_She points at the part of the closet carpet closest to them, bordering the wood planking of the rest of the room. "That part is dark. Like when I spilled pudding at Grandma and Grandpa's and we couldn't get it out."_

_"What?" He peered closer. When he managed to distinguish the stain from the shadows his eyes round onto he the little boy now looking at his hands, still trembling. "Ritsu?" Gently, he shakes his shoulders. "Ritsu?"_

_"...He tried to get Mommy." Ritsu whispers. "Then the other man came..."_

_"The other man?"_

_Ritsu nods shakily. "They started fighting. The other man had a gun, and told us something. The weird man took out a knife. The other man shot his gun, and the weird man didn't have the knife in his hand anymore. But he got angry. He tried getting the gun away- he was fast... Mommy was so scared when the other man fell down. She hugged me really hard. When the weird man looked at us, she went in front of me. He put his hands around her neck. I tried to push him, but he pushed me harder and put his hand back on Mommy... I..." Now, Ritsu shakily got on all fours, his hands feeling around the closet door and towards the bed. "I grabbed it around here... and I pushed him with it. He was screaming and it went somewhere..._

_"I tried to get off... But he grabbed my arm and his hand was red. I felt Mommy trying to pull me..." He trails off finally, and the older man was left to guess that was when Ritsu went unconscious._

_"Do you feel okay?" He lifts Ritsu onto the bed to sit. "You woke up in the living room?"_

_Ritsu nods, sure. "I woke up, and I was wearing my pajamas again. And then I heard you guys," he smiles then, happy. "I was scared-" he stiffens, looking towards the door and running out of it seconds later. "Mommy?"_

_"What?" An ran after him. "I didn't hear anything, Ritsu!"_

_The father follows._

_..._

_She was in the study, noticed by Ritsu from the leak of light coming from the crack the almost shut door. When the older man entered, he found Ritsu hugging the slumped form sitting on the office chair. Unconscious, the widowed mother had her hair down and tangled, and it seems someone changed her yukata since it didn't match with the outfit underneath it. Beside the mother and son, An picked up a feathered brown blanket. From it, a piece of paper fell to the floor, and she picks it up, curious. "Daddy?"_

_"What is it?" He asks, glancing to Tsubaki and Ritsu for a moment._

_"This has numbers in it." She hands him the paper. "It's like your handwriting."_

_'Like mine...' He frowns. 'A man's handwriting?' To his confusion, it was just a small thing that was written._

_'TS-7? What does that mean?'_

_"Mommy!" He looks to see Tsubaki waking, her eyes dazed before widening. Her head shot up, gasping as she searched for her son._

_"Ritsu-!" she chokes out when she sees him, grabbing him close. "Oh you're okay, you're okay..." she presses kisses all over his cheeks. Hugging him to her chest, she looks over at the father and daughter duo, her eyes misty. "You two..."_

_"Ahh!" An stares up at her father in surprise. "You have work, Daddy!"_

_"Uh-huh?" He looks down at his watch before blinking at a loss. "Oh." At this point he really didn't care right now._

_"Mommy, do you know what happened?" Ritsu asks, pouting. "Did you change me into my pajamas?"_

_"Your pajamas?" She takes a closer look at him before taking note of her changed clothing. "No... I don't even..." She looked up at the only other adult in the room. "Did... did you see them?"_

_"No... It was just Ritsu when we came."_

_"I see..." she sighs, holding Ritsu back to her chest and taking a deep breath. "I remember trying to get Ritsu away from him... and then I blacked out after getting Ritsu back... I think I fell back and hit the wall or something..."_

_"We should go to the hospital." The older goes, and Ritsu gets off his mother's lap so she could be carried._

_"I-I don't-"_

_"Ritsu, An, let's go."_

* * *

"How long ago do you think they left?" An says worriedly. It was almost 7 in the evening now.

Kazuto comes out of the kitchen with a sigh. "The tea's cold... and they left their phones."

"They're probably okay," Ritsu offers, despite being worried himself. "They wouldn't leave their phones on accident."

"Unlike a certain someone," Masamune pokes, a hand messing up that brown hair. He stops that though, getting an idea. "They probably just wanted some time to themselves."

"...? You think so?" Kazuto shares a sheepish look with An. "Well, we have been sticking to them lately. Ever since she opened up to us I've been hanging out in the kitchen with her."

"Dad's also been busy with work lately..." An adds.

"Then, let's just let them be." Masamune gets up. "Want to go eat out or something?"

"Haaahhhh!" Kazuto beams at him for suggesting. His grey eyes were practically sparkling. "Karaoke bar!"

"No."

"Too late! I'm paying!" He steers Masamune towards the door, and looks back at An. "Call to see if anyone wants to meet us there!"

"A karaoke bar?" Ritsu questions, as An goes through her cell phone. "Are you going to sing?"

"Are you?" She challenges.

"N-no..."

"Aww, but you'd be good! I mean, well, your voice can be a little raspy..." Playfully, she nudges him. "I bet if you try, Masamune will."

He stares at her, baffled. "He can sing?"

An laughs. "Why are you asking me? He's your man."

"Oh..." Ritsu trails off, wondering. _'I don't think I've heard Masamune sing...'_

 _'But... Masamune's voice is deep and nice, so...'_ He blushes slightly, trying to imagine. _'He might sing very well...'_ However, the thought of Masamune singing a romantic song towards him in front of others threw his mind into the gutter. _'So embarrassing...'_ It was so embarrassing, he put his hands over his face. He couldn't face anybody right now. _'Ughh...'_

Giggling, An couldn't help smiling. "Rittie, you're so cute!"

"Nnnggh..."

23 minutes later...

"They're gone." Tsubaki notes, after taking off her boots. "And here we bought things for dinner." They had been walking around into and out of stores. A date consisting half the time of looking at things they weren't going to get, like fancy furniture (that looked very uncomfortable).

"No, this is a wonderful thing," he says, grateful as he shuts the door. "It's been a long time since we made dinner together." Taking the bags from her hands into his own, the two walk to the kitchen. Putting down the groceries on the counter he smiles down at her. "Can I confess something?"

"What?"

"I forgot how to cut vegetables and meat." He admits bashfully. "Guide my hands?"

"..." Huffing, she pulls him off to put an apron around him. "You're hopeless," she turns, so he can tie on her apron for her.

"Says the one who gets red to her ears every time." Jolting in surprise at being caught, she retreated a few steps away to take out the utensils they needed. While she did this, he separated the produce from the bags and proceeded to fold the bags away for later use. "What do you think of Kazuto's cooking?"

"Hm... he's good." She sets a pan down on the stove and moves on to checking the rice cooker. "Really good at cutting too. Those parents of his trained him well." She puts a hand on her cheek. "I really need to get Ritsu in here..."

"Poor boy's going to cut himself at rapid speed."

"Oh hush, I'm not going to rush him like a pro. I just want to move him from a beginner to medium level."

"Remember back then when he tried to do chocolates?" He laughs remembering his step-son's teenage years, "It went everywhere and you-" he turned to see the dooming aura of Tsubaki. "Sorry."

"Well, at least he learned from that," she brings out the cutting board, and goes to the cupboard to get a knife. "Are you done over there?"

"Yes." He brings over the vegetables before walking back to get the meat. "I'll be in your care, Ms. Tsubaki."

"S-shut it," she stutters, her hands over his as he stepped in close behind her to look over. "Let's just get this over with and eat."

"Shall I bring out the candles too? An also taught me how to play music on my phone."

"You don't have to go that far to set up a mood..." She wasn't even sure they needed one.

"Why not?" He kisses her head. "They won't be coming home in a long while. I'll start up a bubble bath too-"

"Stop it there!" She begins cutting. "Pay attention. Standing here won't get anything done."

"Oh? You want the bath that badly?"

"Nn... No, I want to eat. I just want to eat." What was wrong with just wanting to eat? A bath did sound nice though... relaxing...

"Aww, look at that steam coming out of your ears, my eyes are fogging up."

"S-shut!" Tsubaki fumes in embarrassment. She was glad the children weren't here to see her like this. It was enough that this man throughout the years managed to see all of her, and her of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Pssshhh Masamune, we know you can probably sing. XD Imagine that low voice singing slow jams. XD XD
> 
> I thought I would name An's dad Taichi... should I... Taichi and Tsubaki, that sounds cute.  
> I'm oddly reminded of Takafumi and Zen. Why is that? Anyhow, I managed to get some plot moving!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)The 30th!  
> Ah, since I'm not doing honorifics in this story, it's so strange sometimes...

_'Living together...'_

_Ritsu gulped as he stood rigid at the door, looking at the double bed as if it multiplied. This was it._

_He... he was living with someone he loves. Married._

_Well, even if they weren't married he'd still... and that... and this... Oh, he was really nervous now._

_Just look at that bed._

_"What's wrong?" He was startled by the voice behind him. "You going to go in or not?"_

_"I-I will!" The brunet rushed forward, hesitantly setting his haul of clothes near the closet. By the time he looked up, his dark-haired lover was already on the bed's side closest to the door leading out into the living room._ _'Oh, so he really likes to sleep on that side..?' Ritsu watched. Of course he has stayed here before- many times actually- but it was something he noticed every time._

_"You can go take a shower first, Ritsu," Masamune yawned, looking through his cell phone with his stoic expression. It was only for a moment though, and he put it up when he took note that Ritsu was just staring. "What?"_

_"N-n-nothing!" Ritsu turns, heading into the bathroom. "I'm going!"_

_'He's stayed here before. It's nothing different.' Masamune laid back on the bed. 'I guess it's a little different, actually living here... with me...'_

_'...'_

_"Augh..." Masamune sat up now, a hand on his face. 'Now I'm the one that's nervous.' He glanced up to the closed bathroom door, embarrassed. The shower was running._ _'He's living with me now,' He thought, gazing at the door. 'We'll see each other everyday.'_

_Was it normal to feel happy with this, after all that's happened? Unknown to the showering brunet, he was the tiniest bit prone to blushing. It was small though._

_'He stared at the bed for a long time though... was he going to jump on it?' He couldn't help but snicker, remembering the first time. Now that he looked back on it, it was really cute._

_'I wonder what he'll want to eat tomorrow,' he imagined their first breakfast of living together. 'I know we can't make much yet but...' He sighed. 'Maybe we can feed each other too. That isn't strange, is it? Other couples do it...' He didn't understand what was so great about feeding each other, but soon he will._

_"..?" His gaze drifted off to the closet. Getting up, he squatted down to the discarded clothes. 'He's not putting them up? He's clumsy but I never thought he was messy like this.'_

_"Aah!" Startled, he can hear Ritsu sound panicked of something. "Um..." Standing up now, Masamune looked as Ritsu opened the door slightly. "I-I forgot a towel..."_

_"Oh? Okay." Masamune opened his closet to grab one and hand it off to him. "Here."_

_"Thanks..."_

_"Hey, you're going to put this up right?" Masamune went back to the brunet's pile of clothes. "You know you can use my closet right?"_

_"Ah, sorry... I'll put them up." Ritsu stepped out cautiously, mindful of getting the floor wet. "I forgot to grab some clothes to change into too so..."_

_Masamune stared. He continued to do so as Ritsu bent down right next to him to choose something to wear._

_Was this going to happen a lot? He was going to see this sight? 'Damn...'_

_It was okay to find this sexy right? With the way Ritsu pushed his damp hair back Masamune can see the water droplets stream down from his hairline to his neck. And he can see the brunet's face perfectly. Swiftly, he looked down, refusing to let himself get caught. He didn't want Ritsu to think he was this perverted._

_..._

_Shifting more than once, Ritsu then sat up again. He patted the mattress around him before suddenly laying back. 'I'm actually...'_

_'This is my home now. W-well, my other home.' In all honesty, he was ready to leave whenever Masamune tells him to. He knows Masamune must not be used to this so he was okay... really..._

_'I wonder if my heart can take it.' He was answered with an awful ache._

_'No...' Maybe he wasn't ready yet- he just settled in too... 'Maybe it's too early to think about that now. I have to be positive about this!' He began rolling back and forth, trying to get back to being excited about living here with Masamune._ _'As long as I'm with him, it's okay!' He eventually stopped rolling, hugging the pillow on the side he was on. 'It's okay..!'_

_'Hm?' Gazing to his side, he realized that he was on Masamune's side of the bed. '_ _This is his side... and his pillow,' he pressed his face down, tilting to slightly breathe as he inhaled the scent that he had grown to love. 'I'm so happy...'_

_..._

_"Ritsu?" Masamune stepped out, clad in his pajamas. Drying his hair with his towel as he talked, he then paused when he saw that the brunet was already sleeping._

_'Are you serious?' He couldn't help but frown. 'On my side of the bed?'_

_After putting up his towel he strode over, and leaned over to shake his shoulder gently. "Oy..."_

_"MMnn..." Ritsu shifts, shouldering off the hand before snuggling against the pillow. Giving up, Masamune went to turn off the lights before getting under the covers._

_It wasn't like he favored that side so much; the side was just more so convenient to get off of to head out of the room to get the door. Also he was used to it yes, so it felt foreign to him at the moment. With a huff he gazed across to the sleeping brunet as the lighting from outside the window was enough for him to see._ _To his surprise, Ritsu's lips seemed to still be moving._

_And that's when he learned something about his lover._

_"Mn... mm..." Ritsu incoherently mumbles, and Masamune raised a brow when the younger began affectionately rubbing his cheek against the pillow. "..."_

_"..." He turned away, closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep. 'At least he doesn't snore loud.'_

_Seconds later, he froze, feeling warm hands grip the shirt on his back. Steadily, he turned to face the sleeping mover, his cautiousness unguarded as he looked at Ritsu with a mix of confusion and curiosity._

_Feeling the movement, Ritsu was unsmiling as he tried searching for Masamune's back. Swallowing, the older guided those hands to the back of his head while he tugged Ritsu closer with his arms around him. 'My arm is going to die...' he mused, trying to find the right position for his arm that was under Ritsu. 'Why does everyone make it seem easy?'_

_"Hm..n..." Ritsu grumbles, his brows furrowing as he shuffled closer. Masamune froze yet again, the sensation of Ritsu's rubbing his cheek against his collarbone warming his chest in the most pleasant way possible. "Y-you..." He stared down at the brown mop of hair, unable to see the sleeping face. His cheeks were faintly flushed as he hugged the brunet close, his heart hammering. Suddenly, his arms didn't feel so bad anymore._

And that's the flashback of how that side of the bed became Ritsu's side... if anyone was interested.

* * *

Everyone was busy today. Ritsu couldn't help but muse that as he helped his mother prepare things for tomorrow. They were going to take some food with them to the hotel where his stepfather's work was going to get together for a huge potluck. Other people were bringing food too, so a lot of food, and a lot of mochi...

 _'My arms are going to ache tomorrow,'_ Ritsu thinks, trying to imagine himself pounding the soft deliciousness. _'I probably won't eat much of it with the other foods...'_ He was going to try and eat a lot.

"Still so clumsy," he can hear his mother mutter, as what he was working on was taken away from him. "Like this," she demonstrates, before looking over to his husband on the other side of him. "It burns me as your mother to see him do a better job than you."

"I'm sorry!" Ritsu flusters, before glaring at the man snickering beside him. "I'll get better than you! Just watch me!"

"Oh, I will," Masamune laughs, fueling Ritsu's fire and further flustering. Currently, this was the highlight of his day.

...

"I'm done, Mom!" Ritsu whips his head to his mother, his expression eager. "I did good right?!"

"Hm... Well, you certainly finished your end," she says, examining with her eyes and hands for any excess. "But you don't need to be such a child. It's only peeling oranges- oh quiet, you," she turns on a giggling Masamune, looking over at his work now. "You're not even done yet."

"Ritsu still left stuff on his though," Masamune compares, half-heartedly whining. He gestures to his practically flawless oranges. "I did better, right? Right?"

"No way!" Ritsu protests, looking over his oranges. Seconds later he bites his lip, refusing to admit that he sort of lost in flawlessness. "I finished first though!"

"It's not good if you doing with half the effort. Loo~ser."

"HUH?" Ritsu pushes up his sleeves, focusing on his oranges with an angry but determined look in his eyes. "I'll fix these then! I still win since you're not done with all of them yet!"

"Cheater."

"This isn't cheating! I'm just fixing my errors!"

"You keep looking at my oranges. Cheater," Masamune grins, trying to cover Ritsu's view of his oranges with his hands. "Don't look. If you're going to look at something, look at me," he adds.

"I'm not cheating!" He flames up, choosing to ignore the last sentence.

"..." Tsubaki watched them carefully before looking at Masamune. She began wondering, _'Maybe I should praise him. I've never praised him, now that I think about it...'_

_'Ah... his parents neglected him, didn't they...? Emotionally at least... didn't care for anything he did other than not mess up the house I think. They probably never praised him for school...'_

_'Will it mean anything if it's from me though? Even if we get along a little. But this feeling... he feels like a rival's child, and I certainly don't want to praise him over my child- wait, wait...'_

_'They're both adults, they don't need praise from me... what am I thinking?'_ She starts fanning herself, airing out her thoughts. _'Is it because I feel they're being childish right now?'_ Sighing, she goes back to what she was doing, not minding the quiet bickering that was happening beside her.

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Not all days have so much going on (and by this I mean a chapter like this that doesn't have more particular moments). I tried and tried, but this was all I can think of for this day. I had something earlier but it felt so forced...
> 
> Anyway, happy holidays! I think I'll post the 31st to 1st late on the 31st.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Happy New Years!
> 
> Glad I managed to make the day today! Sorry for the delay!
> 
> UPDATE: This has been updated! sorry for the delay! OTL I've looked it over, but it feels so rushed, best viewed on mobile for me...

_'This is bad,'_ Masamune thought.

He hasn't drank this much in a long time. However, it wasn't as if he was going to lose it. It was at the point he was feeling unsteady... and slightly horny. The more he drank, the more he was aware of Ritsu sitting next him. Their close hands made him want to grab one, pull him away somewhere and... _'Damn it,'_ he began drinking another can. This wasn't the time.

"I think I can drink another..." Ritsu mumbles, annoyed with the cup of water sitting in front of him. He drank only three cans before Masamune took the fourth away from him. There were other people with them minutes earlier, but now it was just them and family at their own table.

"Ahh, I remember when you got drunk for the first time," An's father says, only a little drunk, laughing, "Asking us if it was okay to throw up."

"'Not on the carpet!'" An laughs, mimicking her stepmother, "Mom was so worried. Rittie was so loud too." Said mother was off in the ladies room.

"I want to see that!" Kazuto nudges a beer over to him. "Drink!"

"No way," Masamune pushes it back, out of Ritsu's reach. "Look at him, he's swaying."

"That's you who's swaying!" Ritsu whines, reaching out for the beer. "I can take another!" He grabs it, opening it so he can chug it.

"Look at him go!" Kazuto giggles, setting down his beer. "It's hard to stop once you start, huh?"

"I can take it," Ritsu grumbles, sipping the last of it now. "Water tastes bad."

"Good thing it's only 7," An's father says, looking down at his watch. "We still have time before they do the fireworks."

"We can go up to the roof right?" Kazuto asks, excited "Maybe we can bring up drinks with us."

"We can bring beer?" Ritsu asks.

"No, not beer," Kazuto laughs. "Maybe some hot chocolate or tea."

"That's it. You're done," Masamune speaks up, cutting him off beer with his words before finishing up his own can.

Huffing, Ritsu looks down at his empty can, swirling it a little to watch the leftover condensation. "...Jerk."

Raising a brow, Masamune smiles at him playfully, only to stop as he stared at that heated glare. He could feel it pierce right into his chest. Slowly, he felt the blood in him rush down south. _'Oh. That's hot.'_ Masamune averted his stare to look at his can, swallowing at a loss for words. _'Oh.'_

"..?" Ritsu regards him questionably now, confused at the sudden turn away. _'Was it my face..? Did I look funny?'_ "Um.." He failed to get Masamune's attention. Quietly, he goes to get another can of beer from Kazuto.

 _'I want him,'_ Masamune stared down at his ring on his finger, the can in his hand lightly being crushed, unconsciously. _'I have to hold it in... just for a little more...'_

 _'..?'_ Looking over after a long few minutes, he frowned at the drinking and spotted two more cans. "You need to stop before-"

"Don't wanna listen!" Ritsu continues to drink, drunk now. The brunet was swaying by the slightest, his face lightly reddened, the alcohol kicking in. "I know when to stop, Masamune!"

"No you don't."

"Yessh I do!" Ritsu sets down his can. "I know!"

"I bet you can't stop now."

"Noo! I can!" Ritsu hiccups and turns his head a way from the table, his can of beer. "I'll shhtop better than you!"

"Ha, you're so cute when you're drunk!" Kazuto laughs, finishing his own beer. "I don't get what you guys mean by loud though."

"Well, at home it wasn't this loud with so much people," An realizes, before drinking her non-alcoholic drink. "It's going to take a little while until he gets sober though."

"I think we'll go take a walk now then," Masamune decides, pulling Ritsu up. "Let's get you sober."

"Be careful," An's father says as they go.

* * *

"Oh? Drunk now?" Tsubaki frowns at her son, having bumped into them in the lobby. She hands Masamune a card, "Here. Honestly, I thought it was going to be Kazuto."

"What?"

"Just a room for a few hours- I also got a second one. We're not going to let you walk around in stupor before New Years- Ritsu?"

At that, Masamune glanced around as well as her as they realized Ritsu was no where to be seen. She sighs. "That's odd... he's never wandered around drunk before. Well, we only let him get drunk in the house once but..."

"I'll go look for him. Thank you," he adds, for the hotel room card.

"Hurry, before he falls asleep. If he's anything like his father..."

"Got it," he says, running off once she goes on her way. He too has had some memories of a drunk Ritsu.

...

"Wow! Haha~" Ritsu runs out with the snow falling, cooling down his head. It was pretty outside. When he realized there were people around, and tents with things happening, he looks around in a daze, lost. He thought this was a hotel. "Oh!" Turning around, he found it: the hotel. Unsteadily, he runs back a little before spotting something at the side of his eye. Curious, he goes to the source of the light that seemed to be blinking in three colors.

"Why did you get that?" He hears a man's voice, sounded annoyed. "All it does is flash."

"What? You don't think it's cool, Hiro?" Now Ritsu hears cooing. "See? She likes it."

"Isn't that bad for her eyes? She can't even see faces properly yet."

I remember you." A little voice says to Ritsu. Startled, Ritsu turns to see a little girl -almost up to his waist, her head cocked at him in curiosity. Still a little drunk, he didn't realize he probably seemed like a man watching her family for some odd reason.

"You do...?" Ritsu tilts his head, his eyes drooping a little in drowsiness.

"You don't remember me? Near the hospital where my Daddy works?" The girl asks, saddening a little, her eyes hiding under her bangs. She looked like a little doll, short-straight cut dark hair to her shoulders and wearing a small black kimono with red and yellow flowers.

"Sowwrry..." Ritsu says, sincerely apologetic. "I don' remember."

"..." He watches as she pulls out a necklace from around her neck and off, handing it to him.

"..?" Hiccupping, he looks down at the ring in his hands, a necklace now with tied string. "A ring...?"

"You were always looking for it on the street, even when it was raining..." She pouts, "But when I found it and went to show you, you weren't there anymore. Papa said you went up to heaven."

"O-oh..." Ritsu was confused now, as his legs were beginning to tire. "Hhuh...?"

"Let's show Papa!" The girl grabs his hand and pulls him along. Tottering, he clumsily follows, finding the small child unusually strong. "Papa!"

"What?" Ritsu looks at the shorter men of the two that he can see, the one with the annoyed tone of voice. "Who is this?" The other man- father, seemed too occupied with the baby to notice.

"This is the man who was looking for his ring!" She introduces him, "He didn't go to heaven!"

"...What?"

Ritsu shrinked a little at the man's gaze, intimidated.

"OH! Ah..." The second man, who was taller, regarded him with a smile. His hands were on the handle of a baby stroller now. He didn't seem to have heard what his little daughter had said. "You're Dr. Takano's husband! You looked familiar! Your name is Ritsu right?"

"Huh?" Ritsu blinks at him dazedly, his hiccups receding.

"What the-? Is he drunk?!" The shorter of the couple guesses, frowning as he tugs his little daughter to his side, away from Ritsu. "Shizukesa, you don't just go up to people like this." He stares back at Ritsu warily, occasionally glancing once or twice to his oblivious husband.

"That's weird..." The taller man looks around. "I heard from the other nurses that Dr. Takano wouldn't-"

"Ritsu!" Masamune calls from afar. "Ritsu!"

"Masamune..?" Ritsu turns, unsteadily falling to the ground face forward as he did so. "..."

"Ohh!" Little hands turn him over with very little trouble, patting the unconscious brunet's cheek. "Daddy, is he okay?"

"Of course not," her Papa answers instead, now trying to calm the crying baby in the stroller. "He's drunk."

"He'll be fine," The Daddy of the father pair answers, after his older husband. "He's just sleeping now. But," holding Ritsu up with his arms, he looks around again. "We just heard Dr. Takano a while ago right? He must be nearby."

...

 _'Where is he?!'_ Masamune frantically glances around, worried. _'Did he fall asleep somewhere?'_

 _'Why did you wander off?'_ He wonders, lips pursed, _'He ran a little back then too when we were leaving that party, but then he just held my hand and kept swinging it like a little kid.'_

"Dr. Takano?" He looks down to the little short-haired girl who had called out to him. "Dr. Takano?"

"Yes, that's me." _'How does she know who I am?'_

To his surprise, the girl runs off. "Daddy, I found him!" She faces Masamune for a bit. "Follow me!"

* * *

"Hmm..?" It was dark when Ritsu woke.

 _'We were at the hotel...'_ Ritsu recalls, not being able to remember much. _'It was also snowing too, right?'_

"You're up?" Startled by how close Masamune was, Ritsu looked up at the source of the voice, the darkness making it complicated to see.

"Did I...knock out?"

"Outside yeah. I brought you in this hotel room that your mom got in case this happened." Masamune's arm around him moved to reach in his pocket for his cell phone. "We got about two hours before New Years." He put his cell phone back up in his pocket.

"Really?" Ritsu was surprised, before he began to adjust to the darkness. "Were you sleeping too?"

"A little. You thirsty or anything?"

"No... Should we turn on the lights?" After a few seconds of rustling a lamp light on a nightstand was turned on, and he can see his lover at his side. "Are you mad?"

"Well, I told you to stop drinking... idiot," he flicks Ritsu on the forehead. "Scared me when you ran off."

"I ran off?" Ritsu tries to recall, rubbing his hurt forehead.

"You ended up bumping into someone I know who works at the hospital and his family, Kusama Nowaki."

"I did...?" Ritsu wonders for a moment, and faintly remembers the little girl. "He had a little girl? She was wearing black..."

"Yeah, and a baby too." Masamune brings out the ring, still in a necklace, and gives it to him. "She found this apparently."

"A ring...?" Ritsu inspects it, brows furrowing. "Is this..."

"It's yours." The brunet widens his eyes at him before looking back down at it, surprised.

"It is..?" Sure enough, Ritsu felt the faint engraving on the inside of the ring, and inspects it a bit more. _'They cleaned it...'_

"Ritsu..." Masamune's brows furrow as well. "She said something to me, before they had to go visit some author friend of theirs."

"What?"

"She said she was glad you weren't a ghost."

"...O-oh?" Ritsu didn't know what to say to that. "She said that?"

"Yeah, but..." Masamune shakes his head. "I don't know- it felt like something was up. Dr. Kusama's husband seemed to know something though. Apparently, they adopted her from his husband's cousins who lived up in the mountains."

"The mountains? Like Misaki?"

"I think so."

"I see... Um," Ritsu looks back at his ring, reluctant. "Should I- so when we get home I can throw it-"

"What? No. We finally have it back. Don't lose it."

"But your ring! You threw it away in the streets for me..."

"Hey, it's okay," he brought up a hand to Ritsu's face to focus on him. "I got them for you. It's enough for me to know that you're mine. That's all I need."

"B-but," Ritsu blushes faintly, averting his gaze then. "You used your money on it, even when you didn't have to. You can't just throw it away..."

"I did though. You were there."

"You know what I mean," Ritsu huffs, much to his husband's amused smile. He looks back down at his ring, a small smile reaching his lips.

"You really like that ring, huh?" Masamune watches him intently, his brows smooth as he calmly gazed. Inside, his heart churning at the fondness Ritsu set upon the ring. He didn't quite understand what was so great about it. Now that he thought about it, trying to remember around that time, Ritsu would sometimes miss what he was saying or doing because he was always cleaning it. A part of him couldn't help but feel jealous of that crafted piece of extracted ore.

"W-well, of course!" Ritsu flusters a bit, his gaze still on it. "It was the first thing you bought for me..." he smiles shyly then, before closing his eyes and resting his head completely on the pillow. "I didn't expect you to get me anything, but you did, back then..."

"...That," Masamune begins, frowning, "You never expected me to get you anything? You didn't expect anything of me?"

"I... As long as you were with me, I'm happy. I know you weren't really into gifts and with everything that was going on back then. I just wanted to help you the best I could." Ritsu chuckles nervously, "I think I expected more from me than anything else. I'm not particularly good at anything, even now."

"Ritsu-" Masamune tried to start, before the building rumbled from the top. Ritsu is distracted as he sits and looks up, fascinated.

"Do you think they're starting something?!" Ritsu says, excited. Before Masamune could reach for him the brunet was already away from his grasp, fumbling around for his shoes off the bed. "Let's go meet up with everybody!"

"Ritsu, we have two hours. We don't have to go now," Masamune gets to the edge of the bed, sighing, staring after him longingly. "We're finally alone," he adds, reminding Ritsu such since the younger was excited to leave. After a few attempts at grabs he manages to grab a hold of his arm from the edge of the bed. He tugs the brunet back onto the bed, moving to grab all of him to himself. "We don't have to rush."

"But, you don't want to know what's happening up there?" Ritsu turns his body to face him, and looks up. "What if we're missing something amazing?"

"Maybe there are just too many people up there and the building's getting to its limit. It's a good thing we're not up there."

"Still..." Ritsu sighs, settling in to sit back and lay with Masamune on the bed properly. The pillows allowed them to lay and sit back to see the television on the side. Said television wasn't going to be used though. "Are we just going to lay here for the next two hours?"

"Not really." Masamune simply says, before turning over to rest himself atop of Ritsu. With his arms he embraces the younger man into a hug while he nuzzles his way to the crook of Ritsu's neck. "We can do this," he breathes, comfortable as can be.

"Geez..." Ritsu grunts, finding the man a little heavy. However, it wasn't as if it was suffocating. Giving up, he gradually lifted his arms to wrap around the man above him. Since the man had his arm around his waist and face tucked under chin, the brunet opted to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. Gently, he began caressing his fingers into the older man's hair.

Faintly he remembered how scared he was the first time about if he could touch Masamune's head like this.

Had he become accustomed to it when Masamune began resting against him whenever he was tired, whenever he was drunk? _'I'm glad though...'_ Ritsu gazes down at the dark hair, feeling warm. _'We made it to New Year's...'_ Softly, after a few seconds of hesitation he tilted his head to press a kiss on Masamune's head before relaxing his head back and closing his eyes, sighing. _'I'm thankful...'_

...

Masamune was frozen as he stared into his husband's neck, struck with the irresistible notion to pounce. He couldn't explain why, but when his lover makes small moves like this with the mood going on, it...

He remembered well how they were interrupted last time; swallowing, he turned his head and looked up at Ritsu's relaxed face. He knew the male wasn't really sleeping.

They were alone (for now) on a holiday.

In a hotel.

On a double bed.

They could- He forced himself to stop; they didn't have lube. _'Maybe the bathroom has...'_ He looked to the bathroom, wondering if he could use some lotion or conditioner. _'I have to go wash my hands too.'  
_

"Masamune?" He looks back to Ritsu, who was now watching him. "Is something wrong?"

"Ritsu... I," He tries to push himself up with Ritsu's arms around him, looking the brunet in the eyes as he loomed over him. "Since we were interrupted last time... do you remember?"

"...O-oh!" Ritsu flusters, looking up at him in surprise when he remembered. Fumbling his hands around in a loss of what to do, the brunet eventually readjusted his hold around Masamune's neck, visibly nervous. "C...can we?"

"...Why are you asking it like that?" Masamune snickers, before smiling. "Don't you want to do it with me?"

"Yes!" Ritsu answers at the opportunity, his eyes closed in embarrassment at the teasing. Masamune froze, blinking at the sight under him in stunned silence. It somewhat reminded him of something long ago.

"Oy..." Masamune's brows furrow, leaning up a little to pinch and pull a little at his husband's cheek. "Why do you still close your eyes when we get to this point?"

"Awwhawmm..." Ritsu mumbles incoherently, trying to move his head to free his cheek. His arms refused to break his hold around Masamune's neck. "Iwa...pwah," he takes a breather, after his cheek is freed. After a bit he looks back up at his husband, blushing faintly at the stare before averting it. "When... When I look at you like this, it... it's really embarrassing." _'At least, when I realize we're in such a position...'_

"I know but," Masamune uses his hand again to turn Ritsu's face to capture Ritsu's attention, cupping his cheek as he does so. "Can you try not to?"

"I-I do! I..." he trails off, meeting Masamune's gaze for a mere two seconds before averting his gaze again. However, he was stopped by a small pat to his cheek.

"Longer."

Reluctant, he swallows before looking back at him, his lips slightly quivering as he realized gradually of his lover's face growing closer to his. "Keep your eyes open," Masamune breathes, reminding him.

Ritsu couldn't help but shudder at the warm breath ghosting his own parted lips, knowing what was going to come after. He tried hard to keep his eyes open to the intensity of the other's but at the moment his eyes closed in habit. _'Ah...'_ Recalling the deal of closing his eyes, he opened his lids slightly, only to see that those warm brown eyes were still staring at him.

"Mmm!" They part at his surprised, incoherent sound, and Ritsu pants a little before talking. "I... I thought we both close our eyes when we... I mean- you know!"

"I know," Masamune replies quietly, moving in closer again for another kiss. The mood he felt was dwindling away from feeling so sexual. "I never really told you how cute you were, have I?"

"H-huh? Why are you saying that now?!" His husband wasn't making any sense to him at this moment.

"Because," he begins, planting a light kiss on his forehead. "You're being so cute." He whispered, his lips traveling across his face to his ear. "I..." he trails off, and Ritsu shivers as soft lips tickle his ear. "I want to tell you a lot more things," he brushes, gradually pressing his weight on Ritsu so he can kiss along his neck.

"I love you," he sighs, his lips along the collarbone now. Eventually, he rests his dark head on his love's chest as he was embraced tightly. The heartbeat racing underneath him was music to his ears, and his own began echoing the same. "Ritsu..."

"I love you too," Ritsu fumbles, hugging him the best he can in their position. "I love you..." He gives in and closes his eyes, feeling very emotional. Now that he thought about it, his husband had heard nothing from his mouth of his love for three years and at the present, once or twice since he woke up. "I love you." The brunet repeats, and shifts slightly, blushing when Masamune leans up to kiss him before hugging to his chest again. It wasn't for long however, as the male got up and began tugging on Ritsu to get up as well. "W-what is it?"

"I just remembered- I think we can make it," Masamune simply stops there, smiling as he pulled Ritsu along and out of the room.

...

"Oh?" Ritsu looks out of the window of their car as they arrived to the lookout area that oversaw the rest of the city. His second time here since Masamune's birthday. "There's only a little bit of cars."

"Well, we did get here earlier than I thought," Masamune parks, resting back in his seat now. "Let's just wait here until it's almost time."

"Eh? Is that okay? To leave the car on like this?"

"Yeah. If anyone comes ask us, we'll just say we're waiting for someone."

 _'Is that really okay?'_ Ritsu wonders, before laying back himself, and gazes out at the rear view mirror on his side to pass the time. Outside, he can see the faint lights of passing cars on the nearest highway. After several minutes pass, he can feel his left hand being grabbed by Masamune. Turning to look, he quickly turns his gaze away when he felt lips on his hand.

 _'Ah...'_ Ritsu bits his lip a little, nervous. _'He's...'_ He tries to turn to the window on his side to distract himself, finding the darkening scenery a bit useful until he made out the reflection behind him.

His husband's staring face on the window was just as effective as if he was looking directly at him. Blushing, Ritsu looked down at his seat having no where else to look without feeling more nervous.

"Ritsu, you know what most couples do on New Year's?"

"H-huh?" Ritsu faces him now, confused. "What?" Had there been a new trend of something while he was in a coma?

"New Year's kiss." Masamune snickers at him. "What else?"

"Oh! Ah..." Ritsu laughs shyly, before fidgeting at the thought. "I-in front of other people?"

"They won't care. At that point, everyone's in their own little world. And looking up at fireworks."

"I see..." Ritsu turns back to face the front, mind wandering. He can handle holding hands and everything, but kissing with other people around...

"We don't have to if you don't want to," Masamune smiles, leaning towards him. "Kiss me now though?"

"...O-okay," Ritsu agrees; if this was one way he'll do it, surely he won't feel left out if others start kissing around them. With his lips ready, he closes his eyes and leans forward, opening them then when he heard Masamune laughing. "Wh-what is it?"

"You're the one kissing me. I'll close my eyes," the older says, eyes twinkling before they closed in waiting with a pleasant smile. Across from him, Ritsu blushed as he stared with a loss for words.

 _'It can't be so hard...'_ Ritsu began, glancing about the car space to calm himself. His sight rests back to Masamune's face, lips, and he swallows nervously once more before leaning forward. He pauses when he catches a flutter of Masamune's lashes. "Don't open your eyes!"

"I won't I won't," Masamune promises, but Ritsu could tell though that the man was getting impatient. Taking a deep breath he went forward again, and when he pressed his lips against the others he closes his eyes. _'I did it!'_ The brunet thought, feeling embarrassed and victorious as he kept his lips there. A few seconds pass and he opens his eyes again, yelling out in surprise when he saw brown eyes staring at him in captivation. "W-w-wh-why...?!"

"I'm wondering why too," Masamune smiles seductively, grabbing his love's hand. "Keeping your lips on mine looking so red with your eyes closed."

"T-that was- I just thought it was nice, that's all!"

"I thought it nice too," Masamune agrees wholeheartedly, watching in amusement as Ritsu grasped around for another thing to say next.

* * *

[Okay keep us on, okay?!]

"Um, okay," Ritsu says to An, having a little trouble hearing her on his cell phone's speakerphone over the crowd building around him. His family was slightly annoyed that they weren't there to countdown with in person.

Luckily, they made it to front of the group, the closest behind the safety of the railing. The rest of the city they could see was bright and sparkling before them. The brunet could've taken a picture, but it was on the call...

"Aren't you going to take it?" Ritsu turns to Masamune, who hasn't brought out his cell phone at all. "You don't want to take a picture of it?"

"Oh I will." Masamune then takes it out. "But not yet."

"Heh? But it's really pretty now! Can, can you take it for me?" He ends up asking, since he couldn't take it. "You can send me it right?"

"Yeah, but..." Masamune changes his mind and takes it for him. "There. Took it." He shows a pleased Ritsu. "You're really liking to take pictures now huh?"

"A little bit," Ritsu answers, feeling a little bashful about it. "Don't you?"

"Yes." However, his object of photo taking was another matter. He wanted to see the look on Ritsu's face after the fireworks are launched, and the thought of it softened him. "I love taking what I like to see..." he trails off, looking over at Ritsu again. His negativity couldn't help but poke at him, and he thought about if Ritsu hadn't woken up... He shakes it off. _'He's awake now. That's all that matters.'_ He remembered earlier today of their small trip to the nearby shrine, and he smiles gently, grateful.

 _'Maybe this isn't going to pretty enough yet until the fireworks?'_ Ritsu asks himself, wondering why Masamune didn't find the sight as pretty as him. _'Maybe he thought so when he came here the first time, and he's used to it...'_

On his cell phone's speakerphone, he can hear buzzing and more animated voices blending along with the ones around him. He caught a glimpse of strange movement on his left he turned to see a couple kissing and quickly turned back to his front. Glancing back once or twice he noted how no one seemed to care. _'Are you serious? No one cares...?'_ He pauses, now glancing to his oblivious husband. _'It wasn't like I doubted him, but...'_

 _'Should I..? I mean, it is embarrassing but-'_ "H-hn?" He was surprised when he felt arms wrapping around his waist, his husband's front to his back. Faintly he blushed upon feeling the others breathing against the side of his head. Unknown to him, his cell phone in hand had timed out of the call.

"I'm so glad we can be like this, right now." Masamune whispers softly to him; Ritsu felt a peck to his ear. "I'm so glad..." he trails off, and Ritsu startles at the tightening of their embrace. The voice so close to his began roughening with the threat of an incoming cry. What was going through his husband's mind the past few minutes? "I missed you, so much..." He repeats, "I missed you so much Ritsu..."

"Masamune..." Ritsu felt his throat aching at the sudden rush of hearing his love's vulnerable voice, and tries to look back at him despite Masamune holding him in place and keeping his head close to his. It had become quiet in their little world of two. "Masamune...?"

"Can I say some things? I..." Masamune rests his nose into his love's hair, breathing. "For the New Year. I want to..."

* * *

"...I'm sorry," he began quietly, "For storming out on you those days." His dark head bowed, resting it on Ritsu's shoulder. He tightened his arms once more as if he was worried Ritsu would try to run away from him. "I got drunk, wasted money... getting more drunk and letting people follow me home."

 _'Ah...'_ Ritsu remembers that... cringing as he remembered Takafumi punching someone who kept knocking for Masamune and trying to grope Ritsu or himself when they lied and said Masamune was out.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you a lot because of all that. And Yokozawa. I'm sorry... I, I took it out a lot on you. I directed it at you so many times..." his breath hitches, nuzzling Ritsu's shoulder, "It didn't even occur to me once that you could have left me. Even though you probably felt at times that I didn't care for you back then I... I really did," Masamune sniffs,

"I really did love you a lot. Just as I do now." He hugs tighter, before becoming surprised when Ritsu finally manages to turn around and hug him back. The younger was quiet as he snuggled his head against his lover's chest, touched.

"You..." _'Don't have to say sorry for those things,'_ Ritsu trails off in his thoughts, _'But you wouldn't have it any other way huh... You're not asking for me to forgive you either and I would, but that... You don't have to say sorry for anything is what I think, since what had happened back then...'_ He closes his eyes and sigh for a moment of calm before reopening them. _'How many times have you tortured yourself with those thoughts?'_

 _'I love you too,'_ he thinks in confidence, looking up at the troubled face, shadowed brown eyes boring into green as if for an answer to a question they didn't know. _'But if I said it now would it even make sense?'_

 _'I never thought of leaving you,'_ he thought, staring back. _'Even back then. Why would I? I can't say you're wrong though, sometimes I did feel that you stopped loving me- like that first time in high school. But, I knew later how you were busy and so angry you couldn't focus right... and even if it was a small thing you would do for me I was happy.'_ He smiles shyly before ducking his head; the brunet just realized how long they were staring at each other. As they lingered close to each other, the two mutually arrived to a comfortable silence in their small world.

...

"IT'S ALMOST TIME!" Ritsu immediately shoots his head up at the booming speaker, and he turns to face the front as everyone else did, voices jumbling up together in excitement.

"Ready?" Masamune says to him, his hands at Ritsu's sides apart from one hand holding out his camera.

"Y-yeah..." Ritsu looks back out into the city, the positive energy around him infectious. Seeing a hand out next to him on the railing, he traced it to a nearby couple and averted his eyes to the city again. Once more he was reminded of kissing after the countdown.

_"We don't have to if you don't want to"_

_'That...'_ Ritsu's lips pressed together tightly in a pout, _'You could've just done it without my say but instead you...'_

_'You want me to feel more comfortable around you...'_

_'And I am... more than back then at least...'_ He put his hand on the railing and took a deep breath; he was going to do it. At that moment though he remembered his cell phone and panicked at the dark screen before unlocking it and calling An. However, she didn't pick up, and didn't after a second and third try. _'I guess it's really loud where she is at the hotel...'_

"10!" Most of the crowd chants with the booming speaker. "9!"

"8!" Ritsu began to follow along with their shouting, smiling at some shimmering lights for signal on top of some buildings in the city before he shouts with them. "7! 6! 5! 4! 3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Hearing the sharp noises of launch Ritsu looks up into the sky as others did so as well. Cheers uproar while the fireworks brighten the sky with its bright lights. Fumbling, Ritsu gets his cell phone back on screen to get the camera on. Satisfied after three or so pictures, Ritsu checked up on Masamune, and saw that the man seemed happy with his photos too.

"Did you take the sky too?" He edges closer to him, wanting to see. "..." His eyes widen in shock however, abruptly taking away the man's phone to see more of this... this... _'W-why... is this only of me?!'_ Was his husband really okay?! The more he tapped for more pictures, the more he saw of him from Masamune's line of view. (Duh.)

"It's just one album of it," Masamune says innocently, gently prying his hands off to take back his phone with a grin. "I know you take of me too."

"S-still!" Ritsu huffs with a blush, before remembering that this was it- to kiss him.

Now or never.

He glances up to see Masamune looking back at his phone, distracted. He would have the element of surprise, hopefully. When was the last time his love was so surprised? That question helped fuel his plan; and so, he stepped forward and pulled on the front of Masamune's coat towards him.

...

He has never seen his husband's honey brown eyes so wide in all honesty.

Ritsu stared just as widely, surprised by this turn of events. It was sort of cute and funny... But then, the revelation that he was kissing his husband out in the open made him blush. Should he pull away now? _'Ngghh...'_ Ritsu thought, suddenly embarrassed. _'This is like what happened in the car! What's wrong with me, me? Freaking move!'_

Seeing Masamune's open eyes distracted him from making what was supposed to be a quick, romantic moment. All he could do was stare and blush and keep his lips in place. The air was unusually warm; unconsciously he blocks out the giggling from a nearby couple making fun of 'their first kiss'.

Oh, if only they knew the truth...

Seconds after, Ritsu manages to step back once. Parting their connected lips, he found himself back forward and hugging Masamune, ultimately flushed to his core. He stiffens at the hand feeling through his hair now, swallowing in nervousness.

"H-h-happy New Year..." he stutters, breaking the silence. _'That was bad, wasn't it...'_ Hearing no response, the brunet peeked up in bewilderment, wondering. "Oh..." Ritsu fully looks up now, blinking at the familiar face staring at him unabashedly. Was that light dust of pink a figment of his imagination?

On his end, Masamune was stunned, still as his Ritsu regarded him so adorably. He honestly didn't expect the kiss; of course it was awkward but it... it was Ritsu. The older can feel his chest aching at emotions hitting him, enamored by the sudden development. And so, he continued to stay still in case the brunet was going to do something more, as hard as it was not to hug and squeeze him tightly.

Ritsu hesitantly brought one hand up a half a second later, touching the tinted cheek tenderly, as if it was going to wash away into the air. Was it just a mirage? He pokes it once, just to make sure.

No. It was real. IT WAS REAL.

Something new swelled up inside him. Was it that he was proud of himself? These tingling mixes of happiness and pride made him flush yet again, and he ducked his head and hugged his husband's still body.

*woosh* Startled, he tilts his head from Masamune's chest, reminded that the fireworks were still going. Snapped back into reality as well, Masamune felt a rumble in his pocket and brought back out his cell phone from his coat pocket.

"Oh." Ritsu looks back to his husband, who was reading something from his cell phone. "Everyone's still partying. Your mom and her friends are going to start making more mochi now, want to go back?"

"Really?!" Ritsu replies excitedly, and moments later they walk back to the car, ready to enjoy the rest of New Year celebration back at the hotel with their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took long!
> 
> (2015-)Okay, I realized I left many plot holes in this story, especially with how I introduced Egoist (Cause Misaki is like that little girl). (2020- Alike as in, ability wise)
> 
> I only told some of you about parts of Takafumi's story that ties in with this story (and I will probably not be able to make it as long as this). So you'll see snippets of Takafumi and Misaki's side later in this story. PLEASE read my other author's notes from past chapters if you are confused.
> 
> I initially planned on making a separate story with Takafumi and Misaki but I don't think I'll have time to. We'll see.


	36. Chapter 36

' _When was the last time I had a good dream?'_ Masamune thought. It was the first day of the New Year.

He can say he had some good dreams at first… but then it would be ripped away from him mid-dreaming or at the end of dreaming so those cannot really be counted as good dreaming. Most days he'll just wake with the feeling that he had a decently pleasant dream, but the memory was gone just as the way it came.

Ritsu seemed to dream more than him. It was evident when the younger would begin mumbling once in a while, and smiling with closed eyes. He was obviously having very good dreams, most of the time dreams involving him. _'Why can't I have dreams like you?'_ The 28 year old pinches Ritsu's cheeks gently, grazing his thumb to feel the softness of the brunet's face. He would love to dream like his sleeping lover. He'll think about wanting to do that a lot.

*Ding ding bzzz… Bzzz* Hearing the ringtone, Masamune turns with a grunt to grab his cell phone on his other side under the pillow. "Hello?"

"Ah, Takano!" It was Dr. Sakurai. "I'm sorry to call you now during your vacation, but may you come in on the 3rd?"

"The 3rd?" Masamune frowns. He was supposed to go back in on the 5th. _'Two days early…'_

"It's just for several hours, don't you worry! Then you can go back to what is left of your vacation. You see, some students are coming in for tours. Just simply show them around and you know. They're fairly huge groups however, so that's why I'm trying to contact who is available. It's going to be a handful…"

"I understand," Masamune begins professionally, "I'll be there."

"Thank you! Just be here around 9AM. Goodbye!" After hanging up, Masamune sighs and puts his cell phone back before turning back to embrace Ritsu.

' _This year I'll have to separate my vacation days huh?'_ Masamune muses, thinking about what is to come soon. _'I can't use it all like I did for my birthday to now…'_ This was going to be hard, he can feel it.

…

"Want to go shopping first?" Ritsu looks across at him at the question, watching the glasses-wearing driver. After breakfast they were contacted by their landlord that they could return, so here they were in the car on the way home. The goodbyes to An and them were pleasantly quick as they all had to go somewhere around the same time.

"I think we have enough at home…" The brunet answers, uncertain. "We have leftovers too now from yesterday- unless…" he sighs. "I honestly don't remember what's in the fridge."

"Then let's go after we put what we have up at home. Is it too cold to walk for you?"

"Oh no, I'm fine," Ritsu turns his gaze to out his passenger's side of the window. "It's not that cold," he pauses in thought, "Do we still have peaches? Should we give them to the neighbors? I don't want them to go to waste."

"If they want it. Oh," Masamune realizes, "Did we give any to Yokozawa? They left a little early during Christmas, didn't they?"

"Did they?" Ritsu tries to remember, "I remember Mom asking where Takafumi's parents lived, I think she planned to ship them some but I don't know… I think Misaki said he'd take some later though, to his brother and to where he used to live."

"I see…" It was quiet for a little bit when Masamune turns into the parking area at the apartment building. "We'll just call them later when the next shipments of peaches come for your mom."

* * *

It was still very cold in their apartment; shivering, Ritsu leaves on his coat as he enters the living space. After setting some bags of leftovers on the counter in the kitchen, he heads to the fridge to look inside.

"What's in there?" Masamune asks, after taking their suitcase into the room.

"There's some eggs… and leftovers from a few days back- it looks like it's still good. And um," Ritsu checks it all over once more. "There's butter and the other stuff…" He was referring to refrigerated condiments. He opens the freezer side. "There's some meat in here… it's pork."

"…I want fish tonight." Masamune says, after some seconds of thought. "Let's go get that, and more vegetables and meat. Maybe get some bread too. "

"Oh okay." Ritsu says, closing both sides. He walks around to the living room where Masamune was to go sit on the couch. "Now that I think about it, which kind of meat do you like? Chicken? Beef? Pork?"

"All of them are good," Masamune answers, looking down at the brunet on the couch. "But there is one particular meat I love."

"Huh? What is it?" Ritsu's eyebrows furrow, trying to figure it out. "Fish?"

"Nope."

"Duck?"

"Nope."

"..um…" The brunet pauses, not able to think of other things before turning to seafood, even though they don't eat so much of that. "Octopus?"

"No…" Masamune smiles coyly, "You can't figure it out?"

"I-I can!" Ritsu takes him on. "Crab? Squid? Lobster?"

"You've turned to seafood?"

"Ng..ngh… V-vegetarian meat?"

Masamune chuckles. "What?" Bending down slightly to level with Ritsu's face, he pokes one of his cheeks. "It's not that hard."

"Easy fwor you to fwsay…" Ritsu says, almost incoherent due to the poking turning into his cheeks being pinched. "Fwuhy do youf likfe doifing thwis ansyway?"

Masamune laughs now, kissing him on the forehead before letting him go and heading to the bedroom to use the bathroom. "I love playing with your meat."

"…?" Ritsu rubs his cheeks, frowning. _'What? My meat?'_

"…" _'He called them meat...?'_

' _Wait…'_ He looks down, blinking until he gets it, "Ah," and it hits him. Blushing, he flusters, embarrassed. "Hah?!" Fire flashes through him as he heard Masamune laughing from the bathroom. "Masamune!"

* * *

An hour later, somewhere else, specifically in a store...

"Mommy!" The older woman turns to her little girl. "Daddy's taking me to the shop next door for a cake!"

"Ah okay," she replies, watching as her energetic daughter runs off to catch up with her father.

She was glad her husband preferred to do things like that with their daughter... she was so worn out, but yet itching to rather work than do something so casual like buying groceries.

"..." She wondered if it was okay to think about him. Her only son.

It wasn't as if her only son was a dirty secret. Her current husband knew of him (although she was vague, and he didn't want to push), and her little daughter was simply too young to know and understand that she had a brother old enough to be her father. And as a mother, she had a right to wonder how he was doing, right?

Although, if she had another situation happening, she probably would have forgotten about Masamune wouldn't she? After all, they weren't close, and with everything she had going on, she had no bond to him other than blood.

But that doesn't mean she still can't wonder about him now right? She sighs.

That man who was apparently her son-in-law... if he hadn't come searching for her to get the last she had of Masamune...

"...Kotoko?"

"...?" She turns, brows furrowing a the unfamiliar stranger. The older man was wearing glasses, and was grabbing a box mix to read. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The man sighs. "Really... Masamune, and then you... I haven't changed that much."

"..? Saga...?" Kotoko's eyes widen. "Is that really you?" Her ex-husband had grandfather vibes.

"It is. Is it the nose?" He pushes up his glasses. "Ah, but now that we're here, may I ask you something?"

"What?" She says cautiously. "Do you need my help or something?" This was sort of odd for her; she has never seen Saga so... casual before. Why did he want to talk with her after all they've been through?

"Oh no," he gestures. "Have you gotten in any contact with Masamune?"

"...What?" She lowers her voice. "What do you want with him?"

"No need to put up a guard. I just wanted to know... if you invited him to be part of your current family." He pauses, quiet. "He refused to be part of mine."

"Of course," she says, as if it was obvious. "You're not related to him. But he wouldn't want to be part of mine either," she states, slightly bitter. "After what we went through..."

"But don't you see?" Saga begins, hopeful, "We have our own families now- and don't you think, after all we put him though, we should give him an opportunity to have a family?" His brows furrow. "You... you do have a family now right?"

"I do... just," she sighs, trying to get back to topic, "Masamune is an adult now. He wants nothing to do with us. And I don't want to involve him in my matters either. He's done fine without us."

"He is. However," Saga sets the box mix back before grabbing another flavor to read, "I... I regret what had happened back then. Now that I have my own family, and my stepdaughters... I understand more than ever. He may be well off happy with that partner of his, but I-"

"Liar." He shoots up his gaze to Kotoko, who was glaring. "You're hiding something."

"Kotoko-"

"What is this really about?" She turns, "I have nothing more to say to you. If it's Masamune you want, go to him."

"...Who is his father?" She freezes. "You never did tell me?"

"That is what you want to know?" She turns back to him again, glaring. "After talking about family..."

"No. I was honest about that. You just reminded me for a moment though, about him. Was it that man you were working with before we eloped?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she says, arms crossed. "I worked with many men- for work only business, I assure you."

"Kotoko, it had to be one of them. Who was it? Or you don't remember?" He frowns, "You weren't forced, were you?"

"No! As if I let myself..." Upset that he thought that, she decides to leave; the shop next door with her husband and daughter was appealing now. Before walking away from him, she turns to face him once more, furious. "You're a doctor aren't you? Go find out yourself!"

...

"Aah!" Ritsu stiffens, a hand in his coat pocket. They were leaving the grocery store and walking along. He takes out the money Akihiko had given him on Christmas. "I forgot..."

"Oh yeah," Masamune says, staring at it. "Want to put it in the bank or something?"

"Oh, uh... Oh!" It takes Ritsu a second to think and then look back at Masamune in excitement. "Want to get a cat?!"

"Ritsu, a cat?"

"What?" Ritsu falters. "You don't want one?"

"I do, but not yet."

"What? But... I mean," the brunet begins, "I'd like it if Sorata can stay with us some weeks, but I don't think-"

"No, Ritsu, just..." Masamune frowns. "You remember that one time we were doing it in my room in high school?"

"H-huh?" Ritsu blushes, "Wh... which time?"

"Ritsu, it was the only time that Sorata walked in on us."

"What? No, he was in there a couple of times..." Ritsu begins to remember...

_"Aah," Ritsu threw his head back on the pillow as Masamune laid his head on Ritsu's shoulder, kissing along as he continued to thrust. "Ah!"_

_"Ritsu..."_

_"Ah! Hah... wha..." Ritsu wonders faintly through his pleasure what Masamune wanted. For some reason, Masamune would say his name over and over once in a while with no follow up to it._

_"Meow." Ritsu was staring ahead, now looking over Masamune's head as he heard the little meow. 'Huh..?'_

_"Sa... Saga," Ritsu pants, trying to get his attention while watching the little kitten that was trying to climb up the bed. "Saga..."_

_"Ritsu," The older of the two whispers against his skin, before thrusting in harder at a different angle. Immediately, Ritsu threw his head back again, his pleasure spot having been hit._

_"Aaahh! Ah!" Ritsu clung to him, his hips moving in response to meet with Masamune's. "Ah!"_

_"Ritsu... Ritsu!" Masamune shouts, getting in there harder to hear more, to feel more. "Ritsu..!"_

_"Meow?" Brows burrowing at the unusually close sound, Ritsu turned his head a little. Faintly surprised, he saw that the kitten had made his way on the bed. Sorata tilts his head at the sight before walking up close to Ritsu's head._

_"H-hah..." Ritsu swallows, panting as the oblivious kitten came close. 'Oh no...' "S-saga..."_

_"Ritsu," Masamune breathes, his hands moving to cradle Ritsu's face. Ritsu was distracted as he was kissed, his own hands retracting from his love's back to put them though his hair. Groaning, Masamune deepened his kiss, his thrusts growing languid as he focused on kissing Ritsu._

_"Meow." Okay, now he heard it._

_Masamune whips his head to the side to see Sorata, staring at them curiously._

_"A-ah..." Ritsu shrinks back as much as the pillow allowed, as Sorata walks closer to his face. He shuts his eyes at Sorata sniffs him, holding back a small laugh when his cheek was licked._

_"Oy..." Masamune glares, picking up the kitten and bending slightly to set him on the ground. "Get out."_

_"Meow."_

_"Out!"_

_"Meow?"_

_"Hahah..." Ritsu manages to get out, finding the exchange funny. It was quickly over with, however, as Masamune suddenly rammed into him. "Ah! Ahh! S-saga..."_

"It was kind of cute..." Ritsu says, flashback over. "What was wrong?"

"Ugh... I hate it when the mood gets ruined. Also, he kissed you right in front of me. Rude."

Ritsu laughs at that bit of humor. "He didn't know..."

"Still. Augh," he stops thinking about that. "No pets for now."

"Fine... then I guess I'll just save this for later." Ritsu says in disappointment, putting it back in his pocket.

"Let's see," Masamune says aloud, "We have most of what we need, right?"

"Yeah..." They decide to go home then, ready to spend the evening back at their hopefully now-warm apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)I'M SO SORRRRRYYY! School is a bit more busier now than last year!
> 
> I'll try to update some other fics too this weekend!
> 
> Ughh the Valentine's chapter will be later, I'm sorry!


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)So guys, if any of you noticed the days Masamune was supposed to have off is longer than what I put in those chapters ago, ahh yes I changed it. I don't have time to change that past chapter however, so you'll notice the off days. Sorry lately, I've been busy! (and lazy, sorry) OTL
> 
> And...  
> It's been a YEAR since I wrote Waking Up! XD I can't believe..! The day before my birthday-on my birthday kind of too (if I post this on my birthday)

It was hard for Ritsu to exactly pinpoint this feeling he was having. Sitting up in the early morning, he gazes down at the older male beside him, lips pressed. This lasted for a while before he laid back and up against him, breathing in his warm scent.

He just felt... that he had to be close to him but... more. More? Ritsu's brows furrow, and his eyes trailing all over Masamune's face. Even the older seemed to give him a strange vibe in his sleep, Ritsu couldn't describe this effect that was washing over his mind and body. It made him feel warmer than usual.

"Hmmhm," came the light chuckle, and Ritsu startles and blushes as Masamune opens his eyes, wide awake. "See something you like?"

"..." Ritsu presses his lips tightly, conflicted by his playfulness; while he was embarrassed to say yes, he knew very well he couldn't say no- that would be lying.

"Why so serious?" Masamune asks softly, ruffling his hair. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing... just," Ritsu bites on his lip for a bit before he wraps his arms around him, his head on Masamune's chest. "I don't know..." he trails off, and he listens to his love's heartbeat. For someone laying in bed the man's heart was racing like he's been running. "Did something happen to you?"

"Hm? Nope." He feels a soft, callous hand run its way through his hair. "I've just been here. I got up like half an hour ago."

"Oh," Ritsu says, before yawning and pulling his arm off from over Masamune to rub his eye.

"Getting sleepy again?" Masamune teases, before getting up and pulling him off of bed. "Let's go. I don't want you getting lazy so early."

"But... but," Ritsu whines, going along with his pace. Sure, he hasn't been really exercising for the past few days since they came back home but...

...

It was interesting to watch Ritsu exercise. Masamune glances from his stir frying, having insisted that he make the meals for today.

After all, he was going back to work tomorrow- this was his time now. Going in yesterday to help tour those students went along faster than he thought, but they were sure annoying half the time.

By the time he came home Ritsu had made dinner triumphantly, hands on his hips and small cuts on the tips of his finger. It was worrying, yet so endearing; especially so as Ritsu was trying hard to cook as well as him. He himself didn't think he was that good, but he did have more experience at it than Ritsu. When the brunet gets into it, he really...

 _'...?'_ Masamune glances casually, but hidden from Ritsu. The younger kept looking back at him a lot, doing his sit ups. _'Is something wrong?'_ He wonders, before smiling at another thought, _'He did this back then too huh... I'm not even doing anything worth interest.'_

Honestly, he thought Ritsu was way more interesting to look at look at and just... to look at him... brought to him many feelings.

When Ritsu was sleeping... his face so calm and still- it would bring him excitement at every twitch or flutter of his lashes. Even if it hurt that it didn't mean that Ritsu would wake up within in those three years, he knew that Ritsu didn't mean to raise his hopes up. In his own way, Ritsu didn't want to give up either, even when unconscious. Masamune couldn't help but hum happily, 'I love you.'

Blinking, Masamune pauses and turns off the heat, feeling a tingle of embarrassment. He didn't realize until it reached his ears that he said that aloud. But it was quiet right? He glances over at Ritsu, who was still doing sit ups and obviously reaching his limit because he was trembling and his eyes were closed in concentration. Masamune gives out a sigh of relief, and goes to get the plates.

He would prefer to have Ritsu heard it, but he honestly just said that to himself. And he was sure his face when he caught himself saying it aloud, the younger would have commented on his own surprised facial expression. Sure he can make Ritsu flustered and embarrassed but he himself...

 _'Not yet,'_ he thought, not ready for it. The cool side of him, ever since high school, wasn't ready to admit to his own embarrassment. _'I'm so lame...'_

 _'Ah, but New Year's, he...'_ Masamune thought back, remembering that kiss and smiling at the memory. _'He sure got me that time.'_

"Ritsu, come eat," he calls, getting ready to put rice in the small bowl for him.

* * *

"Don't nap." Ritsu was startled, feeling Masamune shaking him a little from beside him on the couch. He was tired from exercising, and ate until he was full, so his body was ready to sleep and relax. "Want to go on a walk?"

"Mm... no," the brunet yawns, eyes drooping. "Can't a sleep for a little while..?"

"Nope." His eyes widen as he was pulled to the front door. "Come on, let's walk."

"I don't want to..." Ritsu yawns, putting on the coat Masamune hands him. "Won't I want to sleep more after this?"

"Then you can rest when we get to the park."

...

Ritsu no longer felt sleepy once they got there, but he did feel tired still. As they sat on a bench to rest, he leans against Masamune, sighing.

"Tired already?" Masamune chuckles, and Ritsu yelps as he was moved and pulled on to his partner's lap. As he settled on him, he was hugged close, and Masamune set his chin on his shoulder. "Hmm... You're getting heavy."

"I-I am?" Ritsu tries to look at him, but it was hard. "Is that good?"

"Yeah. You're weight is supposed to be close to mine. Considering that lifting you wasn't that much trouble, you're probably almost there."

"You lifted me a lot when I was sleeping too right?" Ritsu asks, "Like when you're cleaning me or... to go do x-rays or something..."

"Well, yeah, but... your weight back then was even less."

"I see..." Ritsu rests his hands on Masamune's arms on his lap, and glances around nervously. There didn't seem to be anybody around.

"You know, it's not like we're going to get in trouble for hugging," he shivers as Masamune trails up his nose along his neck. "Relax."

"..." Ritsu's lips quiver as he tried not to keep his voice in, the sensation getting to him. However, it was brought up to him of a question to ask, and he turns his head slowly to give Masamune time to stop nosing him. "Back then..."

"What?"

"Since I was asleep, did you ever- I mean, you were mostly at the hospital right? How did you... Did you do it in the bathroom?"

"Huh?" Masamune frowns at his wording, before he understood. "Oh... that."

"Y-y-you don't have to answer-"

"No, it's fine. I didn't think you'd get curious to know that but..." Masamune straightens his neck, and Ritsu can look up at him properly now. "I guess... sometimes I used the private bathroom so no one bothered me but..." He looks down at Ritsu. "Most of the time, one look at you and it would stop."

"H-huh?" _'One look... at me?'_

"Don't take it the wrong way. Just... looking at you," Masamune begins, "Knowing that you couldn't jack off on your own or anything... It just really turned me off. Also, it wasn't fair you know?"

"I-I see..." _'It... it wasn't fair?'_

"There was one time..." Masamune reluctantly admits, "I was tempted to jack off in front of you. I thought maybe my moans might wake you up."

Ritsu flushes to his ears. "T-that..."

"I know I know," Masamune sighs dejectedly, and he sets his head back on Ritsu's shoulder. "I really missed us masturbating together then." He nuzzles Ritsu's neck affectionately. "And hearing your voice again..." He exhales. Ritsu shivers once more at the breath against his skin; it did not help that the heat hit together with the cold.

"Should we go home now?" Ritsu asks hesitantly. He was reminded of the feeling from this morning. Being out like this now was making him uncomfortable for some reason.

"Ah, yeah." Ritsu gets off, and Masamune takes his hand as they walked home.

...

As they reached the apartment, Ritsu finally managed to grasp this feeling, but it was very nerve-wracking. From behind Masamune, he watches as the man takes out the key to open the door. It was now or never. "..."

Or maybe not. Ritsu found himself inside now, Masamune putting up his coat for him. When had he missed his que?

Okay.

Now it's now or never. "...M-m-masamune," Ritsu swallows, nervous.

This was okay right? Ritsu began to panic a little. This was normal right? He... he was a man too- a person! A person too, with feelings... like him... _'What am I saying...?'_ Ritsu thought, his thought process melting.

"...?" Masamune looks back at him, wondering what was wrong. "What's wrong?"

"U-um... uhh..." He panics when Masamune turns away after they take off their shoes, and grabs on to the back of his shirt.

"...?"

"..." The brunet clamps his own mouth shut, afraid of whatever was going to come out. Confused by this, Masamune still continued to move around the living room, with Ritsu right behind him following with his hand on the back of his shirt.

After they sit on the couch, Ritsu simply sticks next to him, unsure about his next course of action. Carefully, he leans against the older's shoulder, and tries to relax. Maybe the feeling will go away soon.

"I'm going to lay down. Come on," Masamune holds him close as they do, and Ritsu blushes as they moved to their current position on the couch, with their heads on one end and their feet over the other. Too distracted to look at the TV, he can faintly hear laughing, maybe a comedy channel.

"You okay?" A hand tilts his face up to look at Masamune, and the older was worried. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." he stammers, before ducking his head down and hugging Masamune again like he did earlier in the morning.

"No, don't do that," And his arms were put back in front of him. Masamune turns his face back up at him again. "Not until you tell me."

"..." Ritsu falters, and Masamune lets his face go gently, concerned as he watches Ritsu fidget.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?"

"...I-It's nothing, really, just- I," he quickly adds, "I don't know... um..." He hugs himself to Masamune again, and peers up shyly. "C-can I?"

"..." Baffled, Masamune simply embraces him back, encouraging him to do so. "Yeah..." He can't help but snicker, disbelieving. "That's why you're all worked up?" He smiles as Ritsu ducks his head in embarrassment, "Just cuddle when you want, got it? God, you worried me there."

"S-sorry..." Ritsu trails, and begins to calm as Masamune runs his hand through his hair.

...

 _'This morning too huh?'_ Masamune recalls, understanding now. _'There's nothing wrong with wanting to cuddle. Though I don't know why he's getting shy about it now. Maybe cause we're not going to sleep yet on the bed?'_

TV was honestly a little boring right now. He was sure he's seen this before too; with one hand, he grabs the remote and turns the volume lower. This level of noise was okay. Slowly, after he set the remote away, he looks back down at the brunet, the latter having closed his eyes seconds after Masamune ran his hands through his hair.

It was obvious he was awake; Masamune smiles. Judging from the younger's face, he thinking about something worrisome again. Maybe wondering if Masamune was looking down at him right at this moment? He probably hit the bulls-eye. He resists the urge to laugh as he looks back up at the television, faking his interest of what was happening on the screen. Ritsu was probably going to look up right about now and see if he was looking.

"..." He feels Ritsu shift and re-wrap his arms around him. Oh, maybe he wasn't sure if Masamune was comfortable with his moving? Masamune waits again for a few seconds before looking back down at him. Ritsu looked more at ease now, comfortable with his shifting.

But that wasn't what got his attention though. Sure, Ritsu already had his attention but this...

As if they weren't already against each other, Ritsu tightens his hug slightly before pressing his face against Masamune's chest. Inhaling wholeheartedly, the brunet sighs in contentment before resting his head, smiling softly.

"..." Damn. His cell phone was in his back pocket... if he moves now to get it to snap this priceless shot...

But God, this was like high school again. Masamune curses inwardly before wondering how to escape this. He was in the mood now. They were already like this too... it was so perfect. He could just pull up the brunet and kiss him hard. Ritsu was wearing a buttoned up shirt too... unbuttoning them to expose that smooth chest... the way his chest rises as he- this did not help.

He wanted to make love so badly. Miserably, he looks back down at Ritsu. Now, for some reason, the brunet seemed troubled again with his closed eyes. He wasn't noticeably hard, was he? Masamune tries to shimmy back a little just in case, but Ritsu automatically moved with him, not letting him escape. Exhaling in defeat, he stays in place, gazing down at him again.

The older raises his brows as Ritsu hugged close to inhale his scent again, but this time there seemed to be something off. Ritsu looked confused now, and Masamune watches closely as Ritsu nuzzles his chest, pressing a little harder once in a while. Funny enough, the brunet was obviously thinking about something. It was as if his scent wasn't enough- His eyes widen.

It couldn't be. Could it?

Masamune continues to stare, waiting for the brunet to notice that he was watching.

Maybe it wasn't that he wanted to cuddle... even this morning too, he...

Maybe somehow, in a his own innocent way, Ritsu was in the mood... just maybe- hopefully. And obviously, he didn't know how to go about it. He was probably so used to Masamune being the one to want, so he hasn't exactly experienced it himself since the older had beat him to it.

"C-can..." Masamune was caught of guard, swallowing as Ritsu looks up at him. Those green eyes were staring straight at him, fearful of rejection. "Can we kiss?"

Oh... this was it. He was well aware of Ritsu's deeper meaning of kiss in this question.

How can Ritsu think he'll say no?

Is it because they should be making dinner now? Or showering? Or anything in their pattern of what they've been doing in the past months?

He can't say no to that... He can't not say no to that.

This is what he's been waiting for. He's been so wary of getting Ritsu into it like he's done in the past and hurting him, he forgot Ritsu too has been thinking of him... them... as much as he was. And of course Ritsu wants him too.

His chest was filling up so much with emotions he could cry. He felt so happy right now.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner," Masamune finally answers, his voice quiet, and he smiles softly as Ritsu flusters at his tone. He carefully moves himself slightly to level himself to Ritsu, and brushes his lips on the brunet's forehead before pressing them against his lips. He felt the thrill begin to rush through him as Ritsu presses back, his hand clutching on to his shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Next chapter will be ...mature, just a heads up here. I'm trying hard with this... so... OTL Forgive me when you read it. I should post it later today or tomorrow. It's morning and I haven't slept yet, so good morning!


	38. Chapter 38 - Warning: M

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2020) Warning, this is M!   
> Originally, I had it uploaded it as an extension to Ch. 37 but now it'll be it's own chapter.

His breathing... his breath...

Ritsu couldn't help but keep tabs on that as they were now kissing far enough to making out; the light from outside the window was growing dim. Slowly, his arms found his way to its place around Masamune's neck, and his hands hugged Masamune's head tighter against him, gripping onto those dark brown locks. Focusing on this, he didn't really care for what was happening south of his body.

To his faint displeasure, Masamune began moving his lips away, and Ritsu turned his head away to expose his neck as Masamune kissed his way down, pressure building. Swallowing, Ritsu decided to take some seconds to regain his breathing after the kiss before he squeaked, feeling his nipple being wet through his buttoned shirt by Masamune's tongue. "Ahh..."

He turns his head down in surprise to look, lips trembling as he watches the rest of his shirt being unbuttoned all the way, exposing his heaving chest. "M-masamune..." Ritsu whispers, and Masamune rises up to capture his lips again, knowing what Ritsu wanted.

"Mnh!" Ritsu twitches, his back arching as he felt fingers play with his nipples. He felt his nerves sending a rippling sensation throughout his body, fading faintly after Masamune pulls away. As Masamune loomed over him, he couldn't help but laugh softly, staring at his face, at his mouth. "Ha... your lips are big..." It was funny to see his lover's lips bruised visibly because of him.

"So are yours," Masamune breathlessly chuckles, before kissing him back happily seeing that Ritsu was keeping his eyes open and looking at him, and Ritsu yelps as he was lifted, clutching on tight as he was taken to the bedroom.

When he felt the softness of their mattress Ritsu settled quickly as Masamune went to go grab the lube and turn on the lamp on his nightstand on his side of the bed. As Masamune climbs over to him, Ritsu looks at the bottle, wondering. "So we both put it on right?"

"If you want," Masamune says as he takes out his shirt, "But, I'll do it later." He takes off his pants and tosses them to the side before working on Ritsu's. "We're going to try this first."

"What first?" Ritsu squirms shyly as Masamune pulls down his boxers, revealing his erection.

"I'm going to put my mouth on it," Masamune explains, getting lower to put Ritsu's legs over his shoulders. Grasping his heated member he began pumping gradually, and Ritsu's breath hitches. When seeing Masamune bring his face close, he flusters up. "I-I-Isn't that dirty?! I mean, I...ah," he pants, shutting his eyes for a bit as Masamune ran his thumb over the tip, "We both peed!"

"Hehe," Masamune snickers, finding his exclamation adorable. "Not going to stop me. Besides, this will make you feel good as I prepare you."

"Prepare...?" He shivers, feeling a finger touch his asshole, "You're not going to just..."

"Ritsu, do you remember the past times we had sex?" Ritsu looks across at him, biting his lip to hold back another whimper as Masamune's thumb pressed over the tip once more. "It never felt good the first time, didn't it?"

"I-isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Ritsu swallows, resisting his urge to thrust his hips up during talking, "It felt better later..." Also, Masamune gave him time to adjust...

"I've learned since then," Masamune adds,moving away for a moment and taking his hand away from Ritsu to open the bottle and get lube on his fingers. "I seriously could have hurt you more than that last time. And... I think you're really going to like this." He went back to lowering himself, pushing Ritsu's legs up and apart. Then he brings one hand back to Ritsu's cock, and the lube lathered one between the brunet's legs.

"It was okay..." Ritsu says quietly, knowing what he was referring to. "It didn't hurt that much... but what about you?" The brunet asks, knowing that his lover was hard as well despite not seeing it, "You..."

"I'll be fine," Masamune shifts, finding himself growing to the sight of Ritsu's cock, somewhat excited at the thought of trying his mouth on it. "Just tell me if you don't like it okay?" He breathes on it, glancing up and smiling at the sight of Ritsu shivering in anticipation.

...

Ritsu hoped the neighbor wasn't home. It was a fading thought that repeated itself at least twice now in the last how many minutes since they started.

He really... really hoped she... Oh if she did hear- He forces himself to swallow his moan, his hands being of no help; one was focused on clutching the sheets beside him, and other gripping onto Masamune's dark locks. The light tears on the edge of his eyes, he can feel them glistening close past his ears, into his hair, blending in with his sweat.

It... it felt so good.

"Aah," he almost gives up, letting out his pants as Masamune slipped in another finger. While it still felt strange, it didn't hurt as much as the first one. And it helped a lot that Masamune was... _'What about him?'_ Ritsu peers down through his pleasured daze. His lover's eyes were opened and focused, but he looked... _'Does he like doing this?'_ "M-masamune..."

He gulped at the sharp and lustful gaze he was given, and his breath hitches as Masamune ran his pressed tongue up his shaft, "Anhh..." he averts his gaze.

"Hahh," Masamune breathes, faint of a laugh, watching Ritsu intently, "This is better than I thought."

"H-huh..? Oh!" Ritsu closes his eyes, letting out a small moan as Masamune's fingers brushed in the right place, and a louder, surprised groan as Masamune's tongue played with his balls. _'He's...'_ He laid his head back, his hands moving to hide his face as his hips gave out small thrusts, embarrassed. "Mmmm..!"

"Don't be embarrassed," he feels the older move, and now hands were on his arms, trying to get him to let himself be seen. "What do you think I want to do too?" At that, Ritsu flushes darker than before, struggling as Masamune gently overpowers him, feeling more exposed than ever. "Look at me, Ritsu."

When he shakes his head he felt a hand on his cheek to make him look, and he opens them reluctantly. His face was probably so red now, as he gazes back at Masamune, his lips quivering. His thudding heartbeat had so signs of slowing down, and it was wreaking havoc in his chest. He couldn't avert his eyes either, hopelessly drawn to the intensity of the heated gaze directed at him.

"You..." Ritsu stares back at Masamune's faltering tone, the man's softening face making his heart churn. Despite this, those brown eyes were burning, making Ritsu swallow suddenly feeling his throat go dry. "Do you know what you're doing to me right now?"

"Hmnngh... W-what do you think you're doing to me right now... too..." Ritsu's voice shakes, and his chest burns a little as Masamune laughs so quietly, before bending over to press kisses over his flushed face. The brunet couldn't help but jerk slightly as he felt Masamune's hardness brush against his thigh. "M-masamune..." He reaches out, trembling, his hands unsteadily gripping onto the rims of older man's boxers.

He wanted it. Now.

"Ready?" Masamune breathes, his heart racing even more as his reply was a simple tug of his boxers. Quickly, and mindful that he was over Ritsu, he slips out of them, tossing it away to wherever. He sighs in relief of his free cock, lubricating using his own precrum with the quick pump of his hand, and eyes watched with lust as Ritsu stared over at it with parted lips. Swallowing, he then pulls down Ritsu a little closer against him before gently pushing the younger man's legs up and his thighs back.

"Tell me when you get tired okay?" He couldn't help but fret a little, one of his hands caressing the soft smoothness of his lover's thigh. One of the things he worried for was if Ritsu becoming too exhausted to move the next day.

"No, I'll be okay," Ritsu answers assuredly, his voice to almost a whisper as he moves his hip more comfortably, touched my Masamune's concern. "Go..."

* * *

"Mmmn! Aah," Ritsu gasps, his head tilted back in reflex and body writhing as he felt it enter him. He tries to look over at Masamune, his pants becoming more and more erratic as Masamune pushed more of his member in him, the pain causing his eyes to water. One of his hands clutches onto the sheets as the other grips onto the older's arm, his nails lightly digging into the skin.

"Breathe," Masamune's voice hitches, Ritsu's walls clinching ever so tightly around him. Oh, so long has it been since he and Ritsu came together like this, his own body already felt ready to release. He could never, however, wanting more to come with Ritsu when they both reached their peak. "Breathe, Ritsu," he adjusts to move up, gently grinding their hips in tune with one another as he kisses Ritsu's fleeting tears away, his hands busy as they felt over Ritsu's chest, slowly ebbing Ritsu's dulling pain into pleasure.

"Hahh...mm," Ritsu whimpers, shuddering as he felt the pleasure overriding the pain; the pleasure couldn't come this fast could it? Faintly, he recalls their other times of doing it, how he didn't feel pleasure more than pain until towards the middle or the second round... "Ah," he shakily arches his back, feeling a hot tongue run along his chest, to smooth lips marking as they nipped and sucked and kissed their way around.

 _'It feels so good...'_ The brunet unknowingly whispers audibly, as he let out a shuddering gasp, letting his head lay back as his hands went to grip into Masamune's dark tresses. _'It's so good-_ Ahh!" He moans, as Masamune suddenly thrusts, and he felt his own member brush against Masamune's stomach, leaking. "AH!"

"Sorry, sorry, I can't-" Masamune groans, trying hard to thrust more slowly. "Ohh... Ritsu..." He kisses his way back up Ritsu's neck, making his mark on his neck midway.

"N-no... go," his eyes widen, and the older backs away a little to face the other. "Go," Ritsu whispers again, and immediately Masamune was enthralled with the shy, lustful gaze directed at him. Swallowing, he dove back forward to mash their lips together, and Ritsu shudders with closed eyes as he surrendered his tongue to be played by Masamune's; he cared little for the saliva trailing down his lips.

"Mmph!" Ritsu arches, pleasure building as Masamune quickened his pace, and he tries hard to tighten his legs around him more, ignoring the faint strain of his muscles. He wanted more... More...

"Ritsu, Ritsu..." Masamune murmurs as he continues his thrusts, leaving marks on the younger's collarbone, and up his neck. He curses in pleasure as Ritsu tightens around him more, and thrusts back harder, the hot coil inside him ready to burst. Elated, he began kissing repeatedly around Ritsu's face, to his neck and back, feeling so much emotions for the brunet. "I love you I love you I love you..."

"Ahh! Masam... Masa..! Hnng," Ritsu incoherently tried to begin, unable to control his panting as he tries to speak, he himself feeling the hot coiling south of his stomach. "I-I... I l-Aaahhh!" Ritsu came undone, his peak reached as Masamune hit a particular spot. His walls squeezed tightly as he orgasmed, and Masamune found himself gripping hard onto Ritsu's hips as he released inside him, before riding out his own orgasm as he covered Ritsu's face with quick, pressing kisses.

"I love you..." Ritsu manages to breathe out, feeling so light and warm inside. "I love you..." Hugged into the older man's broader chest, his eyes flutter shut as they rest for a few minutes.

...

"Hmn?" Ritsu's brows furrow, feeling Masamune start to move away. Opening his eyes, he questions the dark haired man. "Masamune?"

"I'm going to go get something to wipe ourselves down."

"Huh?" He keeps his hand on the older's arm as he sits up (both of them under the covers) knowing that it wasn't that late into the night. He had thought they were just going to rest for a bit. "You... you don't want to keep going?" He swallow nervously at the surprised gaze aimed at him.

"You aren't tired..?" Masamune asks, and Ritsu's cheeks warm as he rests his hand on his thigh, "I don't you to feel so tired tomorrow, and your muscles..."

"It's fine... Really," Ritsu assures, not helping but feel a little insulted that Masamune thought he was still so weak. Well, he was weaker than most, but he wasn't that weak... He still had some strength left. "Are you tired?" he decides to see if he can challenge, "You don't want to go again..?"

Masamune gives a little huff, smiling as he pushes back Ritsu's bangs to kiss his forehead. "Of course I want to go again, but you're going to be aching a little tomorrow. You probably don't feel it yet, but you will."

"I'll be okay." The brunet replies stubbornly, refusing to move his hand off Masamune's arm. "You don't have to worry. I feel fine." He presses his lips together, troubled with his lover's over-gentleness. He... he wanted to go a second round.

"What's with that face?" Masamune chuckles, before he clamps up at the smolder rising in those green irises. For a while they stare at each other, and in a fit of bravery, Ritsu put in his hand under the covers, and Masamune jerks at the warm hand grabbing onto his already hardening cock.

"Y-y-you're hard?!" Ritsu flusters, now feeling very embarrassed that he just did what he did. On the other hand, he did not understand how his lover can hide it and force himself to stop so early in the night. "T-then why..."

"Ritsu..." Masamune cover his mouth with a hand, albeit a little frustrated. "I..." He runs that same hand now through his hair. "I wouldn't be able to help it if I want to get more rough with you. The more we keep going, I think sometimes I'll-" he shudders, raising his brows at the rush of pleasure as Ritsu felt the head of his cock. "You're making this so hard," he grunts before giving up, turning and putting himself over Ritsu.

The brunet gave a gasp as he was kissed, lips moving together sensually before they pull away. After one small moment of just staring, round two begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)FINALLY. *cries* FINALLY! *cries even more* This is my first M-scene so... ahh...
> 
> *cries* In March and I haven't got to Ritsu's birthday chapter yet aughhhh...


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)TuT I feel a little more confident about these kinds of scenes...
> 
> Now, Masamune goes back to work. What will Ritsu do today?
> 
> Wow, looking back to the first few chapters, I did some 1st person POV huh...

"Mmm..." Masamune shifts as he wakes, eyes peeking open in the dim morning light. His lips spread into a smile as he cast his gaze on Ritsu. The brunet was sound asleep next to him, facing him, sheets up to his shoulder as he breathed deeply. _'Hope it doesn't hurt too much for him,'_ he thought, thinking about when Ritsu would wake, his hand moving under the sheet to gently rub the younger's hips. They had ended up going for a third round after the second.

Stirring at the touch, the sheets are spread back as Ritsu arches his back in a stretch, grumbling in his sleep.

The older couldn't help but gaze appreciatively along at the many love bites dispersed randomly along his lover's upper body. When he went to check his phone for the time, he clicks his tongue in annoyance before getting up and ready for the day- might as well instead of waiting another two hours. He ruffles Ritsu's hair and pulls up the sheets for him before moving further from the bed.

In the bathroom, he stood dumbfounded in front of the sink, in front of the mirror. Staring, his hand slowly made its way to two spots at the front of his neck, above his collar bone. For a minute he simply felt those two close, reddening spots on his light skin, his lips parted in awe before curving up at the sides. His honey brown eyes were shining.

Oh, he was so damn happy right now.

...

 _'...?'_ Ritsu rubs his bleary eyes sleepily as he woke, blinking now at the empty space in front of him. _'Did he go to work already?'_ He stretches under the sheets with small gasps, feeling the shooting aches run up his back and legs. His legs were particularly aching. _'Will I be able to get up let alone walk around?'_ He could sleep in, but they had skipped dinner last night too so his stomach felt very empty.

"You okay?" He startles at the voice, head turning as he looked to see Masamune at the door, wearing an apron. The scent of food hit him immediately, and Ritsu put a hand to his stomach in embarrassment as it growled rather loudly. "Ah, we did skip dinner," Masamune goes to his side worriedly, grabbing the brunet's closest hand to him to tug. "Do you think you can make it to the bathroom?"

"Y-yes," Ritsu holds on to his hand, his wrist, aching as he moved his body forward. He bit back a yelp as his foot reached the cold, hard wood floors, and almost tumbled over before Masamune steadies him. "Nngghh..." He shudders as he felt the leftover essence dribbled down his leg, having somehow escaped last night's clean up. "I need to shower..."

"Do you need help?"

"N-no thanks," Ritsu faintly blushes, suddenly aware of Masamune's close proximity.

After settling in the bathroom, the older goes off quickly to grab the chair from the study room to help Ritsu- it was an office chair with wheels. Before that though, he checks to see if he had turned everything off in the kitchen.

"I don't really need that..." Ritsu refuses, seeing it when Masamune wheels it in the bathroom as he wobbled out of the shower with a towel.

"Just for when you need help standing up and going around."

"I'm just going to stay in today so..." he trails off, a little bit sad remembering that Masamune will be gone for hours since they had been almost inseparable for the older man's days off. "Un... Unless, do you want to meet for lunch somewhere?"

"We don't have to," Masamune says, helping him dry his hair with a smaller towel, "Just focus on resting." He can see that his answer didn't seem to please the brunet all that much. "We can have lunch together tomorrow or  
Friday if you want, but I want you to rest today."

"...Fine," Ritsu pouts, unsteadily sauntering away to get some clothes to wear. Tripping a little on the way out he finds himself relying on the office chair to stay steady and gives out an aggravated sigh before using it to guide him out. "I-it's really not that bad," Ritsu mumbles loud enough, knowing Masamune was watching him. After halfway putting on some pants after his other articles of clothing, he was startled at the arms wrapping themselves around his waist.

"Mmm..." Masamune hums, and Ritsu shivers, feeling his back against a warm chest, a kiss on his head. "I know it's nothing I should be so worried about, but I can't help it. Also," he brings up Ritsu's arm in front of him, the other that wasn't occupied with pants, and Ritsu blushes at the thumb pressing gently on one of the marks between his elbow and wrist. "Since you chose a shirt to wear, you're going to walk outside to have lunch with all this?"

"I would still put on a coat!" Ritsu huffs, flustered, now feeling exposed because of his arms. The older had marked along his arms, his legs, his stomach, and his upper body. He glares up as Masamune laughs, before unconsciously melting and leaning back at the affectionate gaze directed at him. Now butterflies were in his stomach.

Distracted, he yelps as Masamune pulls up his pants for him in surprise, and was lifted up slightly to sit on the office chair.

* * *

"U-uh..." Ritsu slowly set down his chopsticks, and Masamune smiles at the embarrassed, flickering gaze as Ritsu tried not to stare at his neck above the older man's v-neck. He just now noticed? "It... it's cold today, isn't it? Ou-outside I mean..."

"I'll wear a coat, and then change to my white one when I get to my office."

"Umm... I mean, uh, wouldn't it be better to wear a sweater? Or a turtleneck?"

"Nah. If if makes you feel better I'll wear a scarf. There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing, is there?"

"...N-no... there isn't..." Masamune chuckles at the honest response, before taking a sip of his drink.

After he leaves for work, Ritsu sits back on the couch, his hands on his knees and fidgeting; he just let Masamune go to work with obvious marks on his neck. Flustered, he put his hands on his face. _'I can't believe I let him go! He saw it too didn't he? Why didn't he want to cover it up?!'_ Sometimes he didn't understand his husband...

 _'Was it on purpose?'_ Ritsu thought hard. _'Why would he want people to see it? Wouldn't his work tell him to hide it or... maybe they won't care?'_

Now that he thought about it, he himself hid his cause well, it... well, people stare... and he would feel embarrassed... _'Masamune doesn't feel the same way?'_

"Hm..." Ritsu sighs before looking around, giving up on those thoughts for another distraction. Then he lays back on the couch, deciding to rest in boredom. He really didn't feel like doing anything else at the moment.

...

Masamune sat back in his office chair, clad in his white coat now, and his scarf off. Today was oddly quiet, nothing serious going on, especially on this floor.

"Ahh, I'm coming in," he hears, along with a knock, and sees Eru coming in with a smile. Holding a shiny green and red gift bag in hand, she heads over to him and sets it down on his desk. "I missed giving this to you for Christmas." She gives a little laugh, having noticed his exposed neck. "Oh? Did you have fun over the holiday?"

"As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks," he says for the gift, and sets it down out of view.

"He's okay though right? Ritsu." Eru pouts, "Don't tell me he's stuck in bed."

"No, he's fine," Masamune answers, before he grins slowly, remembering last night. "Really fine."

"Well, remember that he should have another check-up soon."

"Got it."

"Oh, and," she smiles mischievously at him. "We're getting new nurses soon, transferred. I heard one likes to go after married men."

He raises his brows. "And?"

"Eh.. what do you mean 'And'?" She turns her gaze to his pictures of Ritsu on the wall and back. "I think you could be the one to break them."

"Why should I? I don't care. Tell them Haitani's married."

She gives him a deadpan expression. "I just saw him kissing someone else again around the corner back outside. No one's going to believe he's married."

"Then someone else. I'm not the only one married."

"Still... Oh?" She walks up to one of the photos on the wall, looking at it carefully. "Wow, he really looks good in this one. When was this?"

"When he was still trying to walk, out in the garden."

"A- Uh?" She looks at him, baffled. "When? I don't remember you there when Misaki and I were helping him."

"I had some free time Sundays."

She raises her brows. "After our sessions?"

"Yeah. We would just sit at the fountain together and soak in the sun." He smiles softly at the photo in question. Ritsu's lips were open in a smile, having laughed about something they were talking about, the sun giving his brunet head a more prominent reddish tent and lighting up everything around him. Really, Ritsu never noticed him taking photos.

"You two are awfully pale," she says in a tone of a matter of fact. And suddenly, there is a knock outside and Shin strolls in, grinning.

"Good morning, Takano! You didn't exhaust Ritsu too much did you?"

"You're late. I already asked, and know what you need to know," she crosses her arms. "You're not even in your coat yet. Don't you have an appointment in 5 minutes?"

"Yeah yeah, but-" He sighs as Eru pushes him out of the room, excusing the both of them.

...

"Mmnn! Mnggg..."

Ritsu pants as he wobbles forward, pushing the laundry basket as he went. The bed sheets and blankets were heavier than usual, and stained with last night's activities. After five minutes, he slowly gets onto the couch to nap.

*ring ring* "Hnn?"

*ring ring* He turns to his side towards the coffee table, seeing his cell phone vibrate. However, it falls off when he uses the edge of his fingers to bring it close to the edge. *ring ring* Sighing, he grunts as he reaches down to pick it up and lay back on the couch. "Hello?"

"Hi. Did you eat yet?"

"Yeah..." His brows furrow, confused, hearing noises in the background. "It sounds very busy over there."

"No, it's just-" he hears a shuffle going on, "OY-!"

"KYAA!" Ritsu turns his head away a little, now hearing a woman's voice. Most likely one of the nurses. "Ritsu, Ritsu sweetie, you okay over there? Dr. Takano didn't push it too far did he?" she giggles. He can hear Masamune shouting and trying to get his phone back.

"I-I'm okay..."

"Did he-" Now he hears another woman's voice. "Ritsu! Are you eating well?"

"Yes..."

"Are you doing your exercises?" It was another woman's voice. Masamune's voice sounds further away. _'Are... are they surrounding his phone and he can't get to it?'_

"You'll come visit right?!" Another woman's voice, older. "Have you seen what he did to his office?" He can hear the chattering increasing after she says that.

"No... I don't know I, I haven't seen it..."

This goes on for another 10 minutes.

"AUGHH finally," Ritsu couldn't help but perk up a little at the sound of Masamune's voice. "The questions weren't too much, were they? You okay?"

"I'm good..." He pauses, before admitting, "They were a little too much."

"Sorry. They took me by surprise when I began talking on the phone to you."

"Lunch isn't over yet for you, is it?"

"In a little bit." Masamune sounded a little angry at that. "Hey, I'll just bring take-out for dinner. And whatever is in the fridge."

"Oh, okay. Um... I managed to take the sheets off and the blankets but they're heavier than I thought."

"That's fine. You're just resting now?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay." He hears a sigh, and distant voice in the background; Masamune was probably being called for something. "I'll see you later then."

"Okay... bye," he waits a few seconds for hanging up and resting. It would be another half hour until he gets the laundry to the washer to be cleaned.

* * *

 _'Finally,'_ Masamune thought, taking off his shoes once he got home. After setting down the takeout on the kitchen counter, he heads to the bedroom seeing that Ritsu wasn't in the living room.

Finding that Ritsu was indeed in the bedroom, he chuckles at how the younger was sprawled out over the made bed. The sheets were obviously cleaned and spread out back on the bed. The brunet was in his pajamas, a towel still around his neck from his shower. "Hey," Masamune nudges him awake, taking the towel and ruffling the brunet's slightly damp hair. "You're not supposed to sleep with your hair still wet."

"Hnn?" Ritsu blinks a little before turning his head and seeing Masamune. He sits up and rubs his eyes. "Welcome back..."

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah..." He yawns, before letting himself be pulled by Masamune off the bed to stand. "You don't have to ask me every time."

"Sorry, habit." Masamune guides him to the kitchen. "I got something from Pandaway, is that alright?"

"Ohh..." Faintly remembering the name, Ritsu goes to take whatever was in the takeout bag out to see sandwiches.

"I got two of the same thing. If you want next time, we'll go check it out and you can see what you like."

"No, I'm good," they sit, and Ritsu opens the sandwich wrapper and looks down at it curiously. "Thank you for the meal," he says, before biting into it and seeming surprised at the taste. "...It's good!" He continues to eat happily, and Masamune says his thanks as well before taking a bite.

 _'He was like this last time, wasn't he?'_ Masamune faintly remembers the first time Ritsu was with him at the fast food place of sandwiches, having never had fast food until then. _'Now that I think about it, he isn't really that picky about food to begin with. And he gets amazed most of the time at anything that tastes good.'_

"Can we meet someone where for lunch tomorrow?" Ritsu asks, before taking another bite and waiting for his answer. "I think I'll be okay."

"You sure?" Yup, he can see the determination in those green eyes. "Okay then. Just tell me where you want to meet up tomorrow later."

"Okay," Ritsu smiles before taking another bite. The atmosphere around them had simmered into a comfortable silence, and Masamune couldn't help but feel in high spirits at the satisfied expression on his lover's face.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2020) Warning!! Chapter becomes M sort of towards the end!

"Oh?" Ritsu looks curiously at the red and green bag held in Masamune's hand, having noticed it after welcoming the older man home. "What's that?"

"I forgot to bring this home weeks ago," he hands it over before taking of his coat and shoes. "It's a Christmas present from Eru."

"Eh?" The brunet says in surprise, before sitting on the couch and looking inside. Having not seen the nurse for a long while, he hoped she was doing well. "I wonder what it is..." he mumbles as he goes through it, as Masamune heads to the kitchen to see what Ritsu made.

Earlier in the day, the younger had said he wanted to try something new. "Ooh, Masamune!" The darker haired of the two turns from Ritsu's dishes to glance at him before walking over.

"What's that?" He questions the brunet. It looked like a care package.

"It's a spa package, sort of," Ritsu marvels at it, "Bath salts and minerals, and some incenses..." he continues to look around it into the clear plastic wrapping, "Body wash... and I think there's a fold up mat in here too..."

"You seem excited for this," Masamune chuckles, before remembering, "You worked at a bath house right?"

"Yes... um," A light bulb jolted in the brunet's head, and shyly, Ritsu peers up at him, "Do you want to try some today? Or tomorrow," Ritsu adds quickly, flustering, "O-or whenever... I'll set it up for you."

"...After dinner?"

"Aah, yeah! I'll set it one up then for you." Ritsu then gets up, and they go get ready to eat.

"...For us." Masamune says suddenly as they sit.

"E-excuse me?" Ritsu stutters, confused.

"The bath of course. I don't know why you were set on just me relaxing." They say their thanks before digging in. "Unless that was my imagination?"

"W-well, you've been working, unlike me," The brunet bites his lip before taking a bite of his food, "You must be tired so..." He also didn't think that he himself deserved to relax in that way either... especially since all he does most of the time is stay home; he's relaxed enough, more so than his lover.

"I relax better with you though," Masamune stares, almost smouldering, "And I don't work tomorrow either. We can take all the time we want," he adds quietly, and Ritsu fumbles with his chopsticks, trying to distract himself under those watchful tawny orbs.

...

"Careful," Masamune gently chides, seeing the brunet deciding to put up several dishes at the same time. "Your muscles okay reaching up like that?" He finished what was left of the dishes, wiping his hands.

"O-of course!" Ritsu huffs, before pouting a little. "Earlier today, I also brought home a bag of rice all by myself!" Hearing a snicker, he ruffles up. "I-it's not funny!"

"Sorry," The older pecks a kiss to his soft haired head. "So, it was okay? Not too heavy?"

"It was a past 20 pounds," Ritsu recalls from the packaging, "And I don't feel as much strain so..."

"I see..." Masamune gazes down at him quietly, before ruffling his hair, "Good job." He smiles at the brunet's flushing face at the praise, his green eyes closed as Masamune continued to gently assault his hair. "Don't strain yourself too much okay?" He pulls away his hand, "You tend to go too far at times."

"I know, I know... but I wouldn't say I go so far..." Ritsu lets himself be pulled away out of the kitchen to the couch. "I want to get my strength back to where it's supposed to be as soon as I can."

"..." Masamune lays back onto the couch, pulling the younger along with him until they fall into a loose embrace as they lay on their sides. "I know."

"I actually cleaned up the tub earlier," Ritsu says quietly, resting his head next to Masamune's. "So we can use it..." he trails off, remembering how proud he was after cleaning.

However, maybe he didn't clean it enough? His arms only ached a little then. As Ritsu continued to think about that, the older had hummed in response, one of his hands now on Ritsu's back, wandering. When that hand reached its destination, its warmth coming in contact groping Ritsu's ass, his lips turns up at the ends hearing the brunet sputter uncontrollably as he realized what was happening. "Wh-whware you...?!" He involuntarily shudders as Masamune cups the curve of one of his ass cheeks, his fingers begin to caress his soft skin. "Masamune..." Ritsu halfheartedly whines.

Laughing softly, the older kisses his head, his hand now traveling up and under Ritsu's shirt, running it back and forth along the younger's back. "Can I wash your back?"

* * *

"T-this is the first time huh?" Ritsu couldn't help but say, flushed as his wet back was being scrubbed by a towel held by Masamune's warm hands. "That we're watching each other's backs..." The last person he recalled doing this with was with his stepfather when their family went on a small vacation in high school to a hot springs.

"Really?" The dark haired man thought about it, before agreeing with an "Oh" before wondering if they had ever shared a shower or bath in their youth. He supposed him washing Ritsu when the latter was in a coma did not count. They really should have done it more often before, but the past is the past. Running his gaze up Ritsu's bare back, he licks his lips at the sight of water dripping off Ritsu's nape onto his neck. They really, _really_ should begin to do this more often.

Kissing the back of the brunet's neck, he grins then at the blush spreading to Ritsu's neck and ears. "Hah-!" Ritsu gasps in surprise, feeling tongue lick up his neck. Shivering, he melts back as his ear was gently nibbled on, his back now feeling the heat of Masamune's chest. "M-masamune... nnghh..."

"We should do this more often," The older breathes with a sly smile, sparing Ritsu as he went back to scrubbing the brunet's back for another few minutes. When that was done, Masamune steps back. "My turn."

"Mm," Ritsu murmurs in assent, smiling in anticipation as Masamune took his place sitting. After re-soaking the towel he begins, beginning at Masamune's shoulder blades. He didn't get far though, as the broad back shook accompanied with a rumbling laughter from the front. "What's wrong?" Was he doing it lighter than he thought?

"Sorry, I just..." His head tilts downward, and Ritsu goes a little more to his side to see what was bothering him. He startles when the bigger hand grabs his and pulls him close. He swallows when Masamune looks up at him through a lowered gaze, his hand pulled to the older's lips. "The last thing I want to do is get clean right now."

He was pulled down to Masamune naked lap, straddling him now, protesting incoherently as the older then brought them both down from the tiny plastic stool to the wet tile. "B-b-but the bath... I didn't get it ready yet, and I- mph!" Ritsu shut his eyes as his lips were taken, moaning with a shudder as his ass was groped.

...

He lost track of what was going on for the next half hour.

...

Masamune sighs in contentment as he ran his hands over Ritsu's tresses, relaxing their spent bodies. The brunet had been too buzzed out to complain as Masamune set up the bath himself and brought him into the water to rest on him. Now, the brunet had his head down against the older's chest.

He ran his hands up and down Ritsu's arm, letting the warm water wash over him, humming as he felt the smooth skin. A soft snore brought him out of his absentminded touches, and he chuckles as he shakes Ritsu awake. "Wake up."

"Mmm..." Ritsu murmurs, before rubbing his cheeks against the broad chest as he would a pillow; the older couldn't help but blush only the slightest bit as Ritsu fell quickly back to sleep. He can feel Ritsu's hands loosely wrap around his sides, dangerously close to his butt.

They should really be getting out... Masamune tries his hardest to rationalize, unwilling to move his lover. This was so cute, he wishes his cell phone was here and water proof. Exhaling, he decided to get up carefully, moving Ritsu into where he was before stepping out of the tub.

A smug and affectionate feeling couldn't help but run through him as Ritsu sleepily grumbles in protest at the loss of him, looking uncomfortable as he rubbed his cheek against the side of the tub.

"Ritsu, let's get dry," he shakes the other gently, pulling the drowsy brunet up; he steadied him as he stumbles, guiding him out of the tub.

* * *

"I," the brunet yawns as he rubs his towel over his head, "I didn't realize I was so tired."

"Yeah, you were so out of it," the older snickers, before tossing his wet towel away after his hair was dried enough. He moved on to help Ritsu dry his, taking over with little protest.

Ritsu closes his eyes, resting for a moment as Masamune continues for him. Then, he was reminded of something. "Oh..."

"What?"

"Valentine's Day..." Ritsu begins, "I know what I'm going to do now."

"Oh?" Masamune says, continuing to dry him. "I have something planned too."

"Ohh..." Ritsu answers, wondering how that day will go. "Is the evening free?"

"I planned _all_ day."

"O-oh..."

"What were you planning, just specifically for the evening?" Masamune questions, interested. He smiles as he brings Ritsu close, and uses a hand to toss away his towel.

"I can do it?" the brunet asks, surprised; he felt that they have been slightly at odds with each other when it came to holidays.

"It's not like I'm not happy that you want to do something. I just... " Masamune pauses, trying to make sense of it. "We both want to do something for each other. And I don't want to force you to not do something for me," he chuckles dryly, "Even if I don't think I don't deserve it."

Ritsu ruffles up, turning all the way to face him, feeling the same way. "I-"

"I know," he interjects, before he smiles at him, a bit sad. "You feel that same way towards yourself too."

"..." The brunet didn't know what to say to that as they settled to a silence. A few seconds later, his heart races as Masamune hugs him close, planting a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you."

The brunet looks up at him, that familiar flush to his cheeks as he stared back into warm brown eyes. A hand went to rest on his cheek, and he shyly leans into it before swallowing, his heart racing even more. "I-I love you too," he whispers loudly enough, before he saw the way Masamune's eyes seemed to light up. He felt something in him rise, and suddenly, he found himself speaking more louder, confident. "You deserve to be spoiled." And he meant it as bluntly as he said it.

"..."

"..." Immediately he comprehended what he just said, his confident fleeing as fast as it arrived, and his cheeks go on full blood rush. He averts his gaze as Masamune continued to stare in surprise. "L-L-let's go to bed!" he tugs on his lover's sleeve, the latter letting himself be pulled in his stunned silence.

After settling under the sheets he hugs himself to the older's chest, still embarrassed to face him even with the lights off. It didn't help that the heart he was listening to was beating fast, and didn't seem to have the slightest intention to slow down as he fell asleep.

...

"Hmm..." Ritsu stretches his upper half, rubbing his eyes as he felt oddly warm, and... he looks down as he laid in bed. His eyes widen seeing his buttoned pajama top open, a familiar dark head in between his legs- oh no... his pajama pants were gone, his underwear was- "M-masamune..?" He begins to squirm, not understanding.

He was going to ask too, until he saw the look in his eyes. His mouth went dry, and words were swallowed down his throat. Ritsu whimpered when teeth skimmed his naked thigh, teasing him in small licks until they reached what they were really after. "Mnngghh..."

"I'm going to spoil you so much," the older promises so heatedly and huskily against his cock; Ritsu whimpers more, also remembering their talk last night. "I love you, Ritsu."

As that hot mouth enveloped his hardening member, his last coherent thought was realizing that Masamune was already naked and ready.

...

He lost track of time for the rest of the morning.


	41. Chapter 41

Work. Work. Work.

For the past few days now has been paperwork through paperwork; new patients transferring in from deeper within the city due to renovating.

This also meant transferring nurses, other staff... Masamune sighs as he sits back for a small break, taking out his cell phone to look at the time and his wallpaper. Ritsu must be finishing dinner right now...

They hadn't done it since the end of January.

Irritated, he sighs even more, wondering why he and Dr. Hakure were put up to this on their floor while the others continued their daily examinations. His eyes were beginning to strain more at the sight of the black ink on white, and he so did not plan on getting a stronger prescription on his reading glasses any time soon. He wanted to go home. Why did he have to come in on Saturday...

...

Sure enough, the apartment was dark as he entered, taking of his shoes and putting up his coat in haste as he made his way inside. His murmurs of "I'm home" were left unheard as he got to their bedroom, finding his lover tucked in, snug in bed. Ritsu was in the center of the bed, his head at the inner edge of his pillow as he grazed Masamune's side of the mattress. "..."

He'll just shower tomorrow-today... it was Sunday now after all. Finally. He sheds his shirt and switches in his nice pants for sweatpants before quickly brushing his teeth and heading off to bed. The brunet continued to breathe steadily and deeply as he was pulled in closer to Masamune, for sure swept far away into the realm of sleep.

Ritsu was so warm; he resisted the urge to unbutton Ritsu's pajama shirt so their bare chests could touch. He needed to sleep after all. If he began unbuttoning now his mind and body were gonna go fly straight into the gutter.

Humming quietly, he breathes in Ritsu's scent and shampoo, relaxing his body in the dark before being lulled off into sleep.

...

Ritsu was greeted with the lovely sight as he woke up, breathing hitched for a moment before he relaxed. He shuffles closer to his husband, his cheeks warm. It was somewhat embarrassing too, seeing that Masamune was shirtless again. The older must have come home late again...

 _'He probably didn't eat much last night...'_ Ritsu rests for a bit before getting up to get ready for the day. He can imagine the other was going to be hungry when he wakes up.

* * *

He was alone when he woke up. If it weren't for the sun illuminating the room with light and warmth, and the sounds and smells coming from out of the room, Masamune would've starting freaking out a little wondering where Ritsu was. Slowly he stretches, deciding seconds later to leave bed in favor of going to the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower and brush of his teeth he eagerly goes into the kitchen. Smiling, he approaches the brunet from behind, startling him by resting his hands on the others waist from both sides. "Good morning."

"G-good morning," Ritsu turns a little, having trouble responding after the startle while paying attention to his frying eggs. He twitches as his ear was kissed, hands at his sides now wrapping around him. "Hungry?"

"Yeah." Masamune gives him another peck to his ear before releasing his arms to go get utensils ready; Ritsu had already set up everything else but them. "You're not doing anything today, are you?"

"? No, I'm not." Ritsu turns off the heat and gets the eggs off the pan, "Are you doing anything today?"

"Oh, I plan to," Masamune smiles knowingly, much to the brunet's confusion.

"What? What are you going to do today?"

"Obviously," Masamune begins, watching as Ritsu sits down in front of him. "You."

Ritsu couldn't help but frown a bit, not getting it; instead, he began their words of "Thank you for the meal" before digging in. Brows were furrowed as he continued to wonder what his husband meant. It didn't help that the older was giving him knowing glances, obviously amused that he didn't get the context.

Feeling a foot rub its way up his leg got him on alert, and he grows flustered at the touching. "..."

"..." Masamune just continues to smile between bites, eyes twinkling. The dark haired man was sure in a playful mood this morning... Challenge rose within him, and Ritsu continues eating as well, trying hard to ignore the foot feeling its way up.

The older man really was hungry though, Ritsu can see; Masamune was eating more than him already and rather remarkably fast. The silence now was a comfortable one, and Ritsu can't help but feel happy seeing Masamune eating a lot of what he cooked.

That is, until the foot reached his knees trying to push its way in between; Ritsu swallows as he forces his knees together, keeping the foot away from his crouch. With that he goes back to eating, staring at his plate to distract himself from his lover's antics.

Breakfast today was a full on struggle for his knees.

Now it was time to wash the dishes; quickly the brunet excuses himself, taking the plates two by two to the sink so he can work on them. However, he was stopped, right after he pulls up his sleeves to get ready.

"I can do it," Masamune offers, quickly pulling up his own sleeves before getting to it.

"But-"

"It's fine. I haven't been able to do this in days," he says, as if he missed the task. "Just go sit on the couch and relax."

"I can help dry..."

"I can do that too, so just go sit. Go," Masamune orders.

"Well, okay." He seemed to really want to do this so Ritsu reluctantly turns, unknowing of the glances to his back and butt as he walks to the couch.

 _'It's not like there's a lot of dishes...'_ Ritsu thinks to himself, leaning back on where he was sitting on the couch. _'Did he miss doing it?'_

 _'He did say he wanted to do cooking and stuff on the weekends too so...'_ As he began to relax against the comfort of the cushions, he did not see the other quickly soap and rinse off the dishes. He also did not see the thorough drying of the others hands, nor the way the other approached the couch quietly, eyes straight at him.

He had a urge to say "We're finally alone" but weren't they already alone together technically? Chuckling, he goes to sit down next to the brunet, an arm around him to pull him closer on the couch. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Hm..." Ritsu leans against him, too relaxed to think about much. "Let's just rest here for a little bit."

"You better not start napping."

"I won't," Ritsu huffs quietly, willing himself to just rest and not fall into a comfortable nap. He stifles a laugh when he felt cold hands sneak their way under his shirt, letting himself be pulled along with the other to their sides on the couch. "Stop it!" he lets out one laugh before struggling to keep quiet.

"Why not?" Ritsu squirms when the fingers begin gently poking him, ticking him. Masamune's lips begin curling up at their sides, amused with Ritsu trying not to laugh so obviously. "What's so funny?" he says knowingly, before kissing the brunet's ear and neck, sending Ritsu delightful shivers.

"Like that?" Masamune whispers to his ear, giving him more kisses as he continued tickling, enjoying the way he can feel Ritsu squirm and warm up under his touching. "Ritsu..."

*DINGGGG DINGGGG *gong effects* DINGGGG DINGGGG *another round of gong effects* DINGGG *repeats*

Masamune scoffs under his breath as his phone rang. "I'll be right back" he rushes quickly, pecking Ritsu on the cheek before hurrying into the room.

Ignoring the unread messages and phone call, he simply turns off his phone before getting back to Ritsu.

"Who was it?"

"Nothing important," Masamune says, before surprising Ritsu with another round of tickling. The younger lets out a startled laugh before writhing underneath him, his cheeks flushed at the activity.

So kissable. The brunet closes his eyes as Masamune kisses his forehead to his cheeks, complying as his lips were next. He lifts up his hands to clutch at the others shirt over his chest.

*Nature sounds* *Catchy twinkling tune combined with nature sounds* *repeats*

Masamune pulls away with furrowed brows, eying Ritsu's front pants pocket.

"I think that's Misaki..." Ritsu says, as Masamune takes it out, looking at it-oh wait no- Masamune turns it off instead. "H-huh? What if it's important?" He watches as Masamune sets it on the coffee table.

"Then he'll have to come here personally," Masamune says offhandedly, back to kissing Ritsu. As much as he was okay with Misaki, Masamune really rather just focus on himself and Ritsu.

...

"H-how... did you find out you like kissing this way?" Ritsu hesitantly asks, minutes later after they take a breather.

"Oh... well," Masamune pauses for a moment. "It was not enough with lips closed. You remember right?" Masamune kisses him once, before kissing him with pressed lips. Ritsu blinks at this, remembering faintly of that day in their high school years. Thinking about it compared to now, it was weird for Masamune to kiss him like this. As it was now, he didn't favor kissing like that either when it comes to mouth to mouth.

Masamune giggles quietly at the scrunched up look on Ritsu's face, that latter figuring now how dissatisfying kissing like that is. With no warning he continues kissing from before their breather, and Ritsu slowly positions his arms to wrap around Masamune's slightly wider back.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* They freeze.

"...Ughhhhhh," Masamune groans in frustration, into the cushion next to Ritsu's head. "Nooooooo..." He struggles to keep a stubborn hold as Ritsu tries to get up to answer the door, upset that their 'alone time' was disturbed. Finally free seconds later, Ritsu pecks a kiss to his head before heading to the door.

"Why have you guys not answered my calls?" Misaki asks, after Ritsu lets him in. "The landlord told me you guys haven't left for anywhere all day, so I know you were here."

"I finally have a day off and it's Sunday..." Masamune grumbles loudly, glowering, making tea in the kitchen now.

"What did you need Misaki?" Ritsu asks, wondering if Misaki had called and messaged them so much earlier, whatever the younger wanted was probably really important.

"We wanted to invite you two to lunch and dinner with all of us! We going to cheer on Mr. Takafumi on his dates from the dating site!"

"..."

"...What." Masamune glares, annoyed that this was the reason. People go on dates all the time! Granted, Takafumi hasn't gone on one in a long while, but this was hardly an occasion to gather people for.

"We?" Ritsu questions, "Who's we?" In no way would Takafumi want people to stalk him on his date.

"Ah well," Misaki brought out his fingers to count, "Mr. Henmi... and your mother-"

"What?" Ritsu interrupts, really surprised. "My mom?"

"Yes," Misaki answers like that's normal, "And then Mr. Takafumi's parents had come on a small vacation, so they're going to come..."

"His parents are here?" Masamune says in interest. "When did they arrive?"

"Today," Misaki pouts, crossing his arms, "If you had read your messages, you would know."

"...Sorry."

"And then," Misaki finishes off, "Mr. Akihiko is coming... and I think that's it."

"Akihiko?" Ritsu repeats, "Usami Akihiko?" Misaki nods, "Why?"

"I don't really know," Misaki says, honestly baffled, "He bumped into me at the supermarket after I talked to your mother and asked if he could come. He walked me all the way home..." Misaki trails off, confused. "Now that I think about it, he walked ahead of me... how did he know where we are living? Mr. Takafumi never leaves his personal address to be available at work..."

 _'Hmm...'_ Ritsu thought, remembering the older man from Christmas day. _'He must really like Misaki...'_

 _'Totally stalking...'_ Masamune thought, pouring the tea. _'But then again, maybe he got the address from Misaki's brother... Takahiro right?'_

"Anyway, please come!" Misaki pleads. "Mr. Takafumi's parents also want to see you."

"Fine, we'll come," Masamune huffs, setting down tea for Misaki. "Who's paying for lunch and dinner anyways?"

"Mr. Akihiko volunteered to pay for everything! He also said that he hasn't been eating properly lately, so I'll have to sit next to him to make sure he eats it all." Misaki sips his tea.

 _'Lies!'_ Ritsu thought. _'He just wants you to sit next to him!'_

"You better not mother him too much," Masamune begins, deciding to help warn him indirectly, "He might fall in love with you."

"What? No way," Misaki laughs, before speaking very quietly as if someone is possibly eavesdropping. "Just between us and Mr. Takafumi, Mr. Akihiko was actually in love with my brother before he got married. There's no way he will see me in that way."

 _'Well, I didn't expect that response,'_ Masamune thinks, deciding now to tread off the topic. _'He'll realize later.'_

"So, we're going there around 11:30, so meet us at the Mizuguchi Mall later okay?" Misaki finishes half his tea before getting up. "The dating site is doing the activities on the first floor, so we're all going to watch from the second floor's cafe. Mr. Takafumi is number 31, out of I believe, maybe 150 people?"

"Mizuguchi Mall?" Ritsu says, not finding the name familiar.

"Mizuguchi Mall is closer to the courthouse than here, you guys will have to take the car or go by subway," Misaki looks through his cell phone for the map of it. "We have that shopping and market area close by so it makes sense that most of us haven't been there yet. I went there one time with my sister-in-law so I'm a little familiar with it. It's really huge and amazing!"

...

For another 10 minutes Ritsu and Misaki chatted about the mall, which then somehow became talking about The Kan (Misaki was sure going to take Ritsu with him and Shinnosuke to the live action so he can feel the food magic), to talking about actual cooking.

Then, remembering that he should go back home to Sorata and Takafumi's parents he leaves in haste, leaving the couple alone. Masamune almost considered counting the seconds until the brunet was out of sight.

Finally.

"We should get ready," Ritsu says as he takes away Misaki's cup of tea to wash. As he put away the sponge and soap to rinse the cup he felt hands at his sides, rubbing him up and down. Masamune's fingers began feeling him in slow patterns, pressing against him firmly. "Masamune..." Ritsu starts, trying hard to keep a steady head.

"It's only 10 o'clock," Masamune brings his head close to murmur against his neck, kissing there. "We have time..."

Ritsu jerks forward the grab to his ass. "S-St... Stop it!" Turning off the faucet, he goes to dry the cup before wiping his hands dry. As soon as he was done he was grabbed from behind, slowly dragged back to the couch. "Masamune..! Aha," Ritsu squirms, tickled after being pushed onto the couch on his back, Masamune hovering over him. "Hahahhsss-st-st-stop...!"

"Sorry," Masamune grins, before pulling his hands away to bring up Ritsu's hands and pin them back on the couch. "This okay?"

Ritsu huffs at the question, glaring back at those smiling eyes. "We have to get ready. We don't even know how far the mall is..."

"We'll just drive there and use the GPS on the car, no big deal," Masamune began shifting his fingers, sensually re-gripping Ritsu's hands. "We don't have to hurry."

"..."

"...Please?"

"...Hmph," Ritsu turns his head and gaze, refusing to give in.

"Ritsuuuu..." Masamune whines, pressing his own face into Ritsu's neck and kissing along.

"W-We can leave dinner early..." Ritsu tries to comply, shutting his eyes as Masamune began kissing down. "Or not... go at all..."

That did it.

"And how are we going to do that?" Masamune asks the brunet, one eyebrow raised.

"Uh... well," Ritsu pauses thoughtfully, "T-they'll be focused on watching Takafumi... so..."

"..."

"..." _'They will be right? Right?'_ Ritsu thought, his eyes glancing back and forth from the side to Masamune. To his surprise, Masamune sighs.

"You win." He gets off of him, helping him up from the couch. "Let's get ready."

"R-really?!" Ritsu follows him into the room.

"Yeah," Masamune swiftly turns to plant a kiss on his forehead before changing his shirt. "Even if it doesn't work and it's late, we can just go to a hotel if one's close by before heading home." He heads to the closet.

"Ohh... hn?" Ritsu freezes a little before looking back at him, disbelieving. "H-huh..?" he blushes, taking a few seconds to realize that the man meant a different kind of hotel.

All Masamune does is give him a sultry smile before putting on nice pants and heading to the bathroom to groom his hair.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Note, I don't know how speed dating goes. Some parts may be rushed but I may go fix later.

"Just one." Masamune requests, refusing to leave the car. They had arrived at the mall a little after 11:45 due to a little bout in traffic, and maybe getting a tad bit lost. The 28-year old was thinking now it wasn't really worth their time in coming. All he wanted was to go home and continue where they almost left off.

"It won't be just one," Ritsu huffs, knowing the older wouldn't do just one simple kiss.

"Ritsu... please?" Masamune brought his head close, wanting. "Just one kiss. Honest."

Those blazing eyes did seem sincere this time around... Ritsu blushes faintly before giving in. "Okay... then-" His surprise was muffled as Masamune pulled him in suddenly, both of his hands on his cheeks as they kissed. Moaning, Ritsu grasped onto the front of the older's shirt, the kiss becoming longer and harder.

The sun was high in the afternoon sky when they were done. All he saw was the blue of the sky outside the car's front window pane, dazed and regaining his breathing as Masamune came around to get him out of the car. "You okay?"

"That... t-that wasn't just one kiss," Ritsu breathes, closing the car door behind him after he gets out; he shivers at a particularly cold passing breeze. He accepts Masamune's hand and walks with him towards the mall's entrance.

"Yes it was. One long one," Masamune smiles, satisfied for now.

...

Mizuguchi Mall sure was bigger than the other malls he has been in so far; but then again, he never really went shopping to huge malls all that much... Ritsu gazes around in awe before letting himself be pulled by Masamune to an escalator.

"This really is big," Ritsu says in amazement, looking up as they were moving up the escalator, being able to see there were at least 6 or 7 more floors up. The ceiling's center and sides had clear windows that brightened everything up along with the lights inside.

"Oh, look." Ritsu turned to see Masamune nodding off to the other side of the second floor they were heading to. He can easily see a familiar brunet wearing a dark green yukata, looking over the railing to look down at the first floor. Now that he was higher up, he can see a huge clearing with two seats across from each other with each small table. Most of all the seats have been filled up.

"Ah, what number was Takafumi again? 30?"

"31," Masamune says, looking down as well. "I don't see him."

"Huh? Really?" Ritsu searches around, also seeing no sign of him. "Maybe he went to the bathroom."

When they got to their group, Misaki greets them with his arms crossed, miffed. "AND what were you two doing in the car for so long?"

"H-h-huh...?!" Ritsu flusters, "H-h-h-how do you know that!?"

"You guys are lucky though. It's almost 12:30, and they still haven't started, for some reason." Misaki pouts, his mood obviously dampening. "Mr. Takafumi's parents are stuck in traffic too."

"Sorry," came a giggle, and Ritsu blushes at the knowing look An was giving him, "On our way inside we saw you guys and waited a little until we realized..." She continues to giggle, before taking a sip of her water after Tsubaki coughs uncomfortably. Ritsu wanted to melt and hide away then, resisting the urge to as Masamune lead them to two open seats next to An meant for them.

"I thought only you were coming?" Masamune says, directed towards Tsubaki and An.

"My doctor's appointment ended early, so I thought I'd tag along," An replies, before taking a bite of the sponge cake on her plate. "The food here's so good!"

"O-oh?" Ritsu says, distracted now by the prospect of delicious food.

"The tea is... okay," Tsubaki admits, handing An a small menu to give to Ritsu. "You should just get water though, Ritsu."

"Oh..." Ritsu reads the menu, Masamune reading alongside him. The small soup they had sounded nice to him, but so did the steamed buns...

"Wasn't Usami coming here?" Masamune says, not seeing the ash blond man.

"Ah, his editor came by to take him to work for a sudden meeting," Misaki answers, looking up from his phone and back, brows furrowing. "It's weird though, the GPS says that Mr. Takafumi is outside... he said he was going to the bathroom."

"He's probably overwhelmed and out taking a smoke," Masamune says, "I mean, he's going to be speed dating a bunch of people after all."

"True..." Misaki understands, looking a little guilty now. "I also did make him wake early and prep talk him the whole way here... I was probably being a little too excited."

"It should be fine!" They turned to see Takafumi's mother, looking more rushed than her unruffled husband. "Takafumi needs a little push or two once in while, Misaki," She adds, finding a seat to a empty table next to theirs with her husband. "We thought we'd be late but we made it. Hello," She says towards Tsubaki and them. "And hello Ritsu," she directs at the brunet, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great!" Ritsu replies, having not seen the woman in long. He nods to her quiet husband who nodded back in return.

"We visited you once when you were sleeping, after your sister and her fiance's announcement. You were so skinny and pale, it's good to see you're doing better."

"Ah, thank you..." Ritsu says, touched by her words.

"I see him!" Misaki exclaims, from looking over the railing. "He's going to sit!"

"I want to look, but lately I've been feeling sick whenever I look down from so high," An sighs, resigning to stay seated as Ritsu and Masamune both get up to look.

* * *

It took a while for Ritsu to spot the older man down below, eventually finding his stiff friend sitting down at a seat closest to the escalators that lead up near to where they were. _'He really looks like he doesn't want to be here,'_ He thought. The sunny yellow button on Takafumi's breast pocket of his suit with the number 31 was the most brightest thing on him.

"I don't see why he's sitting there," Masamune notes from beside him. "He'll have to move to the next table anyway."

"Actually, yellow means he stays," Misaki begins to explain. "If they wear blue it means they're the ones moving from table to table. Red means they do both."

"Green?" Ritsu says, seeing some men and women with green buttons.

"That's the staff."

"Oh." Well, he felt silly now.

"Wait," Masamune says, frowning. "You made him wear a suit?"

"No, it was him!" Misaki shares his displeasure. "He wanted to go back to work after this. He could at least have just take off the jacket but no..." They watched as the stiff man sit uncomfortably, glancing around nervously. He looked more as if he was at a job interview instead of a date.

"Do you think we can go talk to him real quickly?" Ritsu says, seeing that he was so close to the escalator. "He looks so lost." He's honestly never seen the man so terribly lost and uncomfortable before.

"I don't think so-oh," Misaki halts when a man on the mic starts talking and starting the event off, "Yeah, we can't."

"So, they're starting..." Ritsu trails off, watching as people began moving seats and talking to each other. Takafumi's first date was with a older women. "She seems nice."

...

After 20 people later, Masamune sighs, leaning over to speak quietly to Ritsu. "This is boring. Let's sneak away."

"H-huh, but..." Ritsu whispers back in a small protest as Masamune walks him away, hands linked.

"Let's go browse some shops while everyone's still busy watching."

"Oh, well, okay..." He was a little curious to see the other shops. _'It wouldn't hurt to go looking for a while...'_

The first place they decided to search out and find was the mall's book store. It was extended two stories in the mall, and Ritsu didn't know where to look first.

"Wasn't there this one series at home that we only had the first and second book of? Let's see if we can find the rest," Masamune guides, leading the way for him with the pull of his hand.

"Okay," Ritsu agrees, gazing around the book shelves they pass. Eventually his gaze rested on his lover's back, and he pinks faintly, feeling shy. "We... we read a lot of books so far, huh?"

"Ah, yeah. To be honest I don't remember all of them," Masamune chuckles, slowing down their pace around the fiction sections.

"Haha, me either..." Ritsu warms, feeling somewhat nostalgic, before noticing the lettering of the authors' names. "I think the author was Fukai. Fukai... Naru."

"Fukai huh?" Masamune says, before they start searching together.

After a few minutes, Ritsu scanned above his shelf level as much as he could before finally spotting it. Slightly, he presses upon the tips of his feet to reach as high as he could to reach it. There apparently seemed to be a total of five in the series, so he nudges out books 3,4, and 5. _'Oh, I'm getting them!'_ Ritsu thought, feeling he could get them out at the same time despite the books' thickness.

Seeing that book 5 was out more easily he grabs that one first, putting it in one arm before reaching out again until another hand reaches out, and he watches as Masamune grabs the other two books with ease.

"I could've gotten them," Ritsu protests, ruffled as the older got the books. "I can reach that shelf too..." he grumbles adorably, prompting a smile from Masamune.

"On your tip-toes?" Masamune chuckles warmly, handing the books over. "Here."

"...Thanks," Ritsu mumbles, looking up at him. And as he accepted those books from his hands it started feeling strange. The scene of which they're in at the moment.

Familiar.

...

...

Nostalgic.

Was the other feeling it too? Masamune stares as he hands the books to the brunet, suddenly feeling as if his throat had gotten dry. The way Ritsu was staring back him. The way he held those books back to himself.

Those fidgeting hands. His gaze travels back up to look into Ritsu's green ones.

Does he remember that time, after all that has happened? Even if he didn't treasure that moment back then in their youth, he treasures all he can remember of it now. He wonders what Ritsu thinks of him now. Slowly, his questiong was answered as those faint pink cheeks blossom into red, the way those green eyes were looking at him now. _'He remembers it too, huh?'_ He felt even more hot inside with the way those eyes were almost glistening. Burning.

He wanted him so much right now.

"W-we should go pay now... maybe he found someone by now." Ritsu sheepishly retreats, one more warm glance at him before turning away to go to the cashier. It felt so happy to see Ritsu meeting his eyes more and more each day.

Oh, he wanted to pin him against the shelf and kiss him so badly. Maybe trail off to the floor, lost in pleasure. He glares over at a store associate close by, obviously made to stand where he was to watch them.

*ring ring* "Huh?" Masamune brought out his phone and answers as he leaves the aisle to reach where Ritsu was. "Hello?"

It was An. "Where did you guys go? I can't get to Ritsu's phone for some reason."

"Oh, we're at the bookstore. He hasn't been charging his phone lately so it's probably out."

"Okay, well, hurry back! He found someone! ...I think."

"You think?"

"He insists they're friends. I guess they both wanted to leave early but I don't know... he's real handsome and it looks like he likes him... I'm not sure..."

"Okay, we'll be there soon. Bye."

"Was that An?" Ritsu questions when he reaches him, having seen Masamune answer his cell phone from afar. "I forgot to charge my phone again..."

After their purchase they head back, one curious to see who their friend had found, and one who felt part of that sentiment, but most of all wanting to leave so he could make love to the man of the hand he was holding.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Sorry it's been long! Small M Rated warning after third ellipse break
> 
> Happy Holidays!

It was taking too long; Masamune taps the edge of the table with impatience for their meals to come. They weren't able to escape having dinner with everyone, so here they were.

Takafumi's date ended up being the man who saved Ritsu from being shot during one of Takafumi's trials. The man also had family who came over to watch, so they were with him too. To his surprise, Kirishima Zen's little girl Hiyori didn't seem to mind the situation at all with them being strangers. She sat between Takafumi and Zen, talking animatedly to Takafumi about Sorata with familiarity.

On his right, Ritsu was chatting happily about food with his mother and Misaki. Holding back a sigh, Masamune feigned innocence as he placed a hand on the others thigh, causing a slight, visible jolt to be seen from the brunet. However, Ritsu continued to converse as he did, ignoring the groping hand.

Masamune can see it though. He can see the pinkish tint on the view of the brunet's cheek that was facing towards him. Before his lips could curl up into a smile, a few waiters came and food was served.

...

 _'23:36... so late,'_ Ritsu thought sleepily, staring at the clock in the car. Slowly, he shifted his eyes to a stoic Masamune, now wearing his glasses. _'Is he angry?'_

They thought they could leave after the dinner, they really did. However, after the event, Takafumi's mother insisted they take home some fruit they had brought for them. The fruit was back at Takafumi's place, so there they went, where they were then kept for a few more hours of talking and tea time. Ritsu was happy though, since he got to play with Sorata for a while.

 _'Maybe not that angry... he seemed happy talking to them. They are the closest things he has to parents after all,'_ Ritsu continued, staring blatantly at the other.

He didn't realize that he was slowly making his feel lover self-conscious, the latter pushing up his glasses to play it off cool. When Masamune turned his gaze to him, Ritsu simply stared back before realizing and turning away, expression softening in sheepishness.

The last thing he recalled before dozing off to the low volume of the radio was the hand that grabbed and intertwined their fingers, swinging it to and fro.

...

...

"..?" Ritsu blinked blearily as he woke, becoming aware of his surroundings. He was on Masamune's back, carried via piggyback- and they were not in the elevator. Once every second or so, he can feel the older readjust his grip on him.

"Geez... you're getting so heavy." He hears Masamune say, as the elevator stopped and opened for him to walk out to the hallway towards their apartment.

 _'Oh...'_ Well, that was a good thing, Ritsu thought, pressing his face back against Masamune's shoulder. While it was a good thing he was getting back to his supposed weight, he did feel a little sad that the older would find it too heavy to carry him like this later. _'I should tell him I'm awake huh?'_ "Masamune..?"

"You awake?" Masamune replies, continuing his walk.

"Mmm..." Ritsu hummed in ascent, before talking again. "I can walk..."

"It's fine. We're almost there anyways," Masamune carries on, shuffling with one hand in his pockets for his key. Ritsu furrows his brows when he wasn't let down even when they entered their home.

"Masamune?"

"Hm? What?" Masamune answers, kicking off his own shoes before using a hand to feel for and take off Ritsu's shoes.

"Masamune..?" Ritsu questions by name once more as he was carried into the bedroom. After being gently placed down onto their bed, he sits up at the edge of it, confused at the silence. "Masamun-mm...mphhm," he shut his eyes as he was pinned down and kissed. "Hah... ah..." Pulled away after a few seconds, he was flushed and panting as Masamune undressed his upper half frantically. "Masam...ne..." Ritsu pants, keeping in mind what time it was. "We... should sleep..."

"After this," The older kisses him, and Ritsu blushes as his pants were then pulled off after his coat and sweater, tossed off to the floor carelessly. Left in his boxers now, he watches as the other undresses as quickly, clothes discarded in random directions.

"..." _'He's hard...'_ Ritsu swallows, seeing the obvious hard-on his lover was sporting through his own boxers.

"Ritsu," Masamune kisses him, pressing himself over him before pulling and nudging the other onto the bed properly. "Let's do it like this." The brunet shuddered as Masamune's clothed erection rubbed against his hips, the friction sending wonderful jolts through his lower half. "Touch me," Masamune breathes, kissing him deeply as his hand found Ritsu's.

Nervously, Ritsu looks as his hand was guided to the others hard-on. His hands trembled visibly as he slipped his hand inside, swallowing at how hot and hard it was as he gripped it carefully.

He couldn't afford to be timid as Masamune moaned gratefully, encouraging him to start moving with a thrust of his hips."L-l-like this?" Ritsu whispers, unsure, trying to recall what Masamune liked as he held on and stroked as vigorously as he can.

Masamune didn't seem to be making any moves other than breathing harshly, so he was doing okay right?

Becoming more focused at the task at hand, quite literally, it didn't occur to him that his own erection was getting soft. He was so focused, nervousness gone for the sake of doing well, he didn't notice Masamune noticing that he was getting soft and widening his eyes.

* * *

This wasn't right.

 _'Why is he getting soft?'_ Masamune wonders through his pleasurable treatment, brows furrowing. Through his haze he tried to reach for Ritsu's, but shut his eyes for a second as pleasure ran through him intensely. Ritsu was really getting good at this- wait.

He peered down at his lovers face. He was flushed, but not the aroused flush that he loved to see in moments like this. That alone rung alarm bells in his head.

Ritsu wasn't turned on.

Why wasn't he turned on? Why- "Ritsu...oh," He trails off into a groan, thrusting his hips in response. He can feel it, he was almost... "Ritsu..!" He let out a deeper moan, coming into the brunet's hand with a few thrusts before relaxing against the mattress. Worrying thoughts of why his love wasn't turned on melted away as he fell asleep.

"..."

 _'I... I did it?'_ Ritsu thought, elated the sight of Masamune relaxed because of him. _'I did it! I really did it!'_ Proud of himself, he kisses Masamune sweetly before shuffling out of bed to wet a towel to clean him. He never cleaned Masamune before; it was different than helping dry him from taking a shower or rain.

 _'He has always cleaned me, so now it's my turn...'_ Ritsu thought in satisfaction, wiping his spouse carefully with a blush and replacing his boxers before cleaning up the clothes on the floor. He decided then that he'll do laundry a few hours after they wake up later. Since the other was asleep and not watching, he didn't feel shy at the moment about sleeping alongside him in just his boxers.

After cleaning himself up, he tucks himself into bed alongside Masamune, snuggling up against him in contentment.

...

Masamune's eyes opened in a snap at his phone alarm, quickly turning and shutting it off before remembering the hours before. _'No...'_ He sits up.

No no... NO. He turned to look at the sleeping brunet who was sleeping rather comfortably, as if he wasn't the only one who didn't come last night. _How?_ How could he be sleeping now like an angel with the night he had? "Mm... Masamune," The brunet giggles happily in his sleep, shuffling closer to the waking Masamune, who pursed his lips as he grazed the others cheek with his thumb.

 _'How can you still be happy with me?'_ He kisses the brown head of hair before getting out of bed to get ready for work.

By the time he finished making breakfast and was halfway through his meal, Ritsu came out of the room wearing a shirt and pajama pants- oh, what that his shirt? _'Nice...'_ He stares as the brunet goes to sit. "You could have woke me up," The brunet mumbles, rubbing his eyes. He didn't seem to realize he was wearing the others shirt.

"You were sleeping so deeply, I decided not to," Masamune says, as Ritsu joins him at the table. "Hungry?"

"Mmhm," Ritsu replies, getting his chopsticks together. "Thank you for the meal..."

After a few minutes of eating, Masamune watches him, finding no sign of discontentment. "You okay?"

"..? Yes, I do..." Ritsu answers, wondering what he meant. "Do you think I need a check-up?"

"No... you're doing well, but I mean, last night..."

"Oh, last night..?" Ritsu says, before surprising Masamune with a smile. "I'm feeling great!" He seemed to catch himself, looking back at Masamune in concern. "Do... do you feel fine?" Ritsu mumbles, insecure, "Was I okay... you know..?"

"Oh, you did great," Ritsu beams happily, "But you..." Masamune frowns, "You sure you're feeling okay?"

"..? Yes?" Ritsu tilts his head, "I don't think anything we ate was weird... the food was very delicious back at the mall."

"..." Masamune wasn't sure how to exactly let the brunet know what he meant. Glancing and tapping his cell phone reminded him that he had to leave about now.

"...?" _'Did I say something wrong?'_ Ritsu thought, feeling flustered. _'The food really wasn't bad, unless he had stomach aches this morning?'_

...

There was a sale today; Ritsu gazed down happily at his stomach medicines, hoping he and Masamune especially, would benefit. Maybe the food last night wasn't as good as he thought...

He had finished laundry by noon, and didn't feel like reading his new novels at the present so here he was, shopping for medicines and ingredients. _'Tonight, I want to try and make okonomiyaki!'_ Since he still wasn't exactly sure which kind of meat Masamune likes, he bought a little of each. _  
_

 _'That's right...'_ He remembers Valentine's Day coming soon. _'I have to continue practicing.'_ He hoped that Masamune will like his surprise for him. What happened last night encouraged him greatly, using his hands...

"Oh..." He pauses, a plush rabbit catching his eyes through the window of a cute shop. _'She... she liked rabbits right?'_ He thought, thinking of the little girl he had met and befriended months ago. Suddenly, he realized the plush was gone, probably having been chosen and bought. _'I probably should go home now,'_ he thought then, no longer distracted.

As he walked past the store of the shop he stilled at the sight of a familiar face. He didn't know what to say to Kotoko as their eyes met.

Ritsu didn't expect her to come out of such a cute shop; glancing at what she had bought that was in her hands, he saw the rabbit plush. _'So she bought it... Who for?'_ Flustered at the sudden run-in, he bows slightly in respect for her. When he looks up she seemed at a loss before giving him a stiff nod and excusing herself to walk away.

 _'I guess she's okay with me..?'_ Ritsu thought, before continuing his way home.

* * *

It was particularly cold today this night. Masamune exhaled into the cold air as he opened the door to enter the apartment building.

Ritsu texted saying he was doing okonomiyaki tonight, which was interesting. He can imagine it now, Ritsu chopping up stuff and putting together the batter with such an earnest look on his face... Oh- he accidentally mixed so much he got batter splattered on his cheeks. There was some on the apron too... Flustered now, he tries cleaning up a bit before wondering if he even got his measurements right...

Lost in his imagination, he almost missed his elevator stop. Carefully, he entered their apartment unnoticed.

"..." _'Smells good.'_

Masamune quietly put up his coat and belongings before sneaking up behind the preoccupied cook. To his amusement, Ritsu really was checking to make sure he got his measurements right, and he did have some batter on his apron. "Ritsu," he whispered, before blowing lightly on an ear.

With a yelp, Ritsu jerked away before blushing, flustered at the small prank. "D-don't do that!"

"Sorry," Masamune laughs, crossing his arms before appraising the setup. "You need any help?"

"Oh no, I'm good! It's almost ready, so you can shower if you want."

"Okay." With that answer, he pats Ritsu's butt a few times in succession before heading into the bathroom, smirking as he hears the brunet's surprised stammers.

...

"Is it good?" Ritsu asks, watching in interest as Masamune took a bite. The older did a mix of the meat for his so he wasn't sure which one he liked more. Maybe he really did like all meats...

"Yeah," Masamune smiles, watching as the brunet beamed before taking a bite of his own plate and humming at the deliciousness. "It's good, huh?"

"It is!" He replies positively, taking another bite. Before he could take another after, Masamune offers a bite of his own okonomiyaki to his mouth. Blushing slightly, Ritsu accepts the fork to his mouth, finding that he liked the meatiness very much. "Thank you."

"Yours is much more healthier than mine," Masamune snickers, seeing that Ritsu had more vegetables than him.

"Whose fault is that?" Ritsu pouts, seeing that Masamune took most of the meat without meaning to. "It's still tastes great," he grumbles, before offering some to the older.

"Thanks," Masamune smiles, taking his offer. "It does taste great."

"I think I made too much, so you can take some to work tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Um, so... how are you going to do what you planned for Valentine's Day? Since you work..."

"You'll see," came Masamune's reply, while on the inside he was unsure himself. Hopefully, he would be able to go home for lunch, and leave work before Ritsu can make dinner. He knew the brunet had something planned around dinner time, but secretly, a small part of him wanted him to not let Ritsu do his surprise.

But that is wrong thing for him to want... He really should try to be open to being spoiled- and in turn, he was going to spoil the other rotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)Ritsu: 1, Masamune: 0 (In all honestly, it's like 10+ but shhh)
> 
> Next time, Valentines!


	44. Chapter 44

_'This isn't too much, was it?'_ Masamune wonders, looking over at all the breakfast he made. He had woken up two hours earlier than usual, and shut off Ritsu's alarm so the younger man wouldn't wake up. The brunet was still sleeping deeply, unaware of the gift box of chocolates under his pillow.

Now that he thought about it, about their past Valentine's days, he remembers that it would just be them going out to eat and then... _'Damn...'_

He only ever gave Ritsu chocolate once, didn't he? _'The first time we had Valentine's, he gave me homemade chocolate... and it tasted burnt...'_ Masamune pauses.

 _'Burnt... overcooked... with his feelings.'_ That was something he thought back then when he received it, not knowing how to respond as he ate with that earnest face watching him anxiously with his cheeks on fire. In the end, he just replied honestly with 'It's good,' and then, he gave back with his body...

He coughs uncomfortably.

 _'I should try making chocolate for him huh?'_ Masamune stares down at his making of a bento for Ritsu; they most likely weren't going to be able to have lunch, so he decided to make small sandwiches and some croquettes for him. On the side there were more small store-bought chocolates for him, but he felt like it wasn't enough. _'I'll totally try making my own for White Day.'_

For the past three years, he simply continued on his day, before spending the evening holding the brunet's hand. Now, there was plenty to do, and so much ideas to be done- birthdays too. _'Good thing his birthday is on a weekend this year.'_ He wanted to do a picnic and take Ritsu to go view cherry blossoms- with the family too of course. They've never been able to go cherry blossom viewing before; they would normally just look as they walked past them, too busy doing other things in their school days.

A flurry of beeping shook him out of his thoughts, and he looks towards the direction of their bedroom. _'He had another alarm?'_

...

"Hmm..?" Ritsu mumbles, incoherent as he opened his eyes. "Mmornin..." He turns to the other side as he ignores the alarm, eyes shut as he clutches his pillow while he got into another comfortable position. "..?" He sits up after feeling something hard under his pillow, finding a flat, heart-shaped box underneath. _'Oh, did he...'_ The brunet blushes, before setting it on his lap as he went to grab for his cell phone. The sound was getting rather annoying.

"?" This was his alarm in case he overslept the other one; either way, he would have woken up with Masamune. _'Did he let me sleep in? Figures.'_

Sighing, he got off of bed to get ready, casting a fond glance at the box of chocolates as he did so. _'I wonder if he'll like my chocolate...'_

When he was done, he grabs the box and heads out, ready to thank the older man before gaping at what was on the dining table. "Ah! This is..." _'This is a lot...'_

"Too much, huh?" Masamune walks out from behind the counter, taking his apron off as he did so. "There will probably be enough for lunch." At the mention of lunch, he was about to say something before Masamune continues. "Sorry we can't eat together."

"Oh, um..." Ritsu rushes to the fridge at that, taking out a dark bento container from the bottom so it was hidden out of sight. "I-I... Last night after you went to bed, I decided to make this for you." He hands it to the surprised older man. "I tried not to make a lot of noise, so it took longer than usual... I ended up finishing and falling asleep around 2. I hope you like it," he mumbles the last sentence out shyly, not meeting his eyes.

The brunet yelps a little as he was pulled forward into a hug, the bento having been placed swiftly on the counter. "Thank you," Masamune says into his hair, before planting a kiss. "Actually, I made one for you too," he looks to his finished bento, now wrapped and tied with a red cloth near the sink. Ritsu follows his gaze. "Looks like we thought similarly," Masamune chuckles. "Happy Valentine's."

"O-oh..." _'We did...'_ Cheeks already flushed, Ritsu's reddening spread to his ears. "Happy... Valentine's..."

* * *

Breakfast was so good, Ritsu hoped his making of dinner would be just as great. As they washed and put up dishes, he glances to the bento he made for Masamune, wondering if he should find something to wrap it in. _'Though if I did find something now, it's too late...'_

"So, what did you make me?"

"H-huh?"

"For lunch."

Oh! Um..." Ritsu closes one of the top cabinets after putting up the last dish. "I-it's a surprise..." It felt too embarrassing to tell him he made a few small, heart-shaped onigiri (one of them having surprise chocolate piece), weirdly pinked omelet (that looked better compared to the four he made to test the food coloring), cut up some greens, and some dumplings. _'He'll think it's too weird, won't he? I tried to be outside-the-box, but...'_

"I wonder..." Masamune dries his hands, "Since you used a bigger container than I did..." A chime from the older man's phone saved Ritsu from replying to that. "Oh, is it really time?" The brunet follows the older man to the door, watching him put on his coat and shoes before handing him his bento. "Thanks."

After goodbyes were said, Ritsu found himself worrying on the couch. _'What if he doesn't like it? I hope he doesn't eat with anyone around...'_ He could only imagine people mocking what he made, though he knew Masamune wouldn't care. _'I tasted them though and it was good, so I hope he likes it... I already know I'm going to like what he made me.'_

He shouldn't really be sitting around for too long; it'd be best if he started prepping for dinner. _'Ah, that's right, I need to go buy candles...'_ In the kitchen now, he glances around in confusion. _'Oh? I thought we had... we don't?'_ After a few minutes, he had a shopping list ready. _'Well, we did make lunches, and then that huge breakfast...'_

...

 _'I think I'm able to carry everything home.'_ Ritsu thought, walking down the aisle of the store he was in. _'Good thing we have enough rice at home...'_

"Ritsu!" At the voice, he turns to see the little girl he had befriended months ago, beaming as she runs towards him.

"Ah... hello." _'It was... Ai? Aiyuri? Her hair seems to have grown a little longer.'_

"Look!" Clad in a adorable red coat and the same backpack he saw her wear last, she presents to him a stuffed rabbit, different from the one she had bought with him. "Mommy got it for me!"

"Oh, that's great! You must really love it, huh?" _'It looks sort of familiar... Kind of like the one I saw at that window shop...'_

"Yup! I love it so much! I named it Megumi."

"Haha, really? That's-" _'WAIT'_ He glances around, finding no searching adult within radius. Had the child run from her father again? "Aiyuri... where is your father?"

"Hmm? Daddy's at work."

"T-then-"

"Grandma's getting a pedicure across the street." _'EEEEehhhhh?! Across the street?!'_ When he was a child, crossing such a big street alone was like crossing a battlefield.

"Y-you shouldn't just run off like that, Aiyuri..."

"But Grandma takes _hours_ there! Also, I was wondering outside until I saw you, but I wasn't sure so I followed you inside and waited until I was sure it was you!"

"You should really go back though, your Grandmother will get worried..."

"No..." She pouts, before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "I'll help you shop!"

"Aiyuri..."

"I wondered when I could ever play with you guys again," he startles at her sudden saddened expression as she faces him. "Daddy told Mommy that I shouldn't be alone outside, so now, all I do after school is play in my room with my rabbit. If I get too loud Mommy scolds me, so I mostly read."

"I-I see..."

"When I'm with Grandma or Auntie all I do is follow them on their errands, and their friends like pinching my cheeks hard. Also, they're boring."

"Oh..? Am I not boring?"

"A little... You're a fun boring though." _'Isn't that... sort of redundant?'_ She continues, "And your sister and her husband are fun too. They sing pretty in the car. _'Oh, that's right, they took her home...'_ "Can we see them later?"

"Ah, they are probably doing stuff together for Valentine's so they must be busy."

"Ohh..." The small girl answers, a little dejected. "Do you think... I'll be able to play with the baby later?"

"..? Yes, I think so," Ritsu replies, seeing that she seemed to cheer up a little at that. "Would... would you like to come to their wedding?"

"Huh?" Her eyes grow big at the word. "W-wedding?"

"They married a while ago, but haven't been able to celebrate it. It's going to be a little after when the baby is born."

"Really?!" She was hopping a little excitedly now- as if she were a small rabbit herself, Ritsu supposed. "Mommy and Daddy told me they had a small wedding, but they don't have much pictures of it. I never got to go to a wedding before."

"I see! Then, I'll be sure to get an invitation for you."

She stops and turns to face him, her hand having let go of one of his own. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She brings up her pinkie in a serious manner. "Promise?"

"Promise," he repeats, squatting down to her level before linking one of his pinkies with hers. Happily, she turns as he stands, grabbing his hand again before asking him for his grocery list. _'Maybe I shouldn't have done that without asking An first but...'_ He looks down at the child, who faintly, and oddly reminded him of Masamune. _'I think it'll be fine.'_

* * *

Oh god.

It was lunch, and Masamune decided immediately after opening his bento that he should have gone back to his office.

How was he supposed to be able to _feel strongly_ for this when there were people around? He also wanted so badly to take a picture of this.

It was so cute. He could see where Ritsu struggled, especially with the color on that omelet. The dumplings looked good, and the heart-shaped onigiri was so- "OH? Did Ritsu make this for you?" Haitani jumps in, looking over him to see. "Can I try one?" This gathers the attention of several surrounding nurses.

"No." He really should have gone to his office.

...

Okay, he somehow managed to escape. Back at his desk now, he re-opens his bento with vigor. Again, he couldn't help but think about how cute it was as he took a picture of it. _'Trying to make it while not making so much noise... Idiot,'_ he thought affectionately. _'I wouldn't mind the noise. I think I would have slept through it actually.'_

"Thank you for the food," he says quietly, before trying one of the onigiri. _'Oh, it's sweet and- fish? That's... interesting.'_ He tries another one. _'Are these all different?'_ He wonders correctly, the second one being a paste he couldn't name, and pork. _'Not bad at all...'_

When he finally got to the last one, he was halfway through it before a silky sensation hit his tongue. "..?" Holding it away so he can look at it, his mouth was left open at the creamy chocolate oozing out of what he bit through. _'He... he put it with the beef? It tastes good with it.'_ Masamune smiles softly. "Clever..." He went back to eating it, savoring the taste. _'The first time,_ _he gives it to me straight up, and now he's hiding it...'_

_'I wonder what else he has in store for me when I get home.'_

...

Shopping was finished! Ritsu thought in relief, holding what he had up with no problem; Aiyuri was only holding one bag of his. _'I should really take this home now...'_

"Can I help? Can I? Can I?" She asks repeatedly, eager to follow him home. "Grandma still isn't done getting her pedicure."

"I-I don't think-" _'NO NO don't make that face,'_ Ritsu gapes at her sad puppy expression, unable to refuse; An had also done this a lot in childhood and he's still weak to it. He had to figure out another way to say what he really wanted to say. "B-but, this is something I sho-should do myself... since it's Valentine's..."

"Oh." Aiyuri answers, her mouth in a 'O' in a sudden understanding.

 _'She understands!'_ Ritsu thought in relief. "And... you should still ask for permission, because, your family will be worried."

"But they'll say no," she replies, pouting. "Daddy says I can't go over to anyone's house other than Grandma's until I get into middle school."

"I see..."

"But Mommy says she doesn't mind as long as I'm careful. Since Mommy isn't around enough though, I have to listen to Daddy more because he gets really worked up over it."

"It must be lonely at home, huh?"

"Mm," she nods. "I asked for a sibling once, but Daddy turned very red and he kept shaking his head and saying no. He said I could get a cat though."

"Oh?"

"But..." she bites her lip, "I want a puppy. Daddy and Mommy think dogs are loud though, and they can't poop or pee in one place like a cat can."

"I... I understand that."

"Yeah, but! I want to play fetch with a puppy, take baths with a puppy, and take them out for walks!"

"You can take a cat out for a walk."

"Huh? Really?"

Ritsu nods. "I got to walk my friend's cat a few times. It's quiet but it's really fun. And he likes playing with yarn and exploring where he wants."

"Really...?" Aiyuri says, awed. "My classmate says cats don't do much."

"That's not true. Everyone's different."

"Then, I guess I can get a cat," Aiyuri mumbles, giving the thought a chance. "Since Mommy and Daddy are also okay with cats more than dogs."

"AIYURI!" Ritsu turns, startled at the voice. A stern, fancy-looking woman strut towards them, her nails a freshly painted red. "Where have you been? Being with a strang-" she abruptly stops as she looks him over. "OH? OHH-" He stills and trembles in fright as she suddenly smiles him with an overly adoring expression. "Why, you're Dr. Takano's husband, aren't you? You're just as handsome as you are in the pictures!"

 _-In the pictures!-_ *echoes*

*echoes* _-In the pictures!-_

"..." Ritsu felt like his soul left his body.

* * *

"Hah? He has pictures of you in his office?" Ritsu found solace laying on a couch in Takafumi's office seeing that the place was close by. Takafumi shakes his head as he goes through his desk. "I can't find it."

"Huh?" Ritsu sits up, seeing that Takafumi was preoccupied. "Ah, are you looking for something?"

"Yeah, but I think I left it home. It's fine." The older man sighs, stressed. "I don't need it until later."

"Did you eat yet? Where's Misaki?"

"We ate earlier here, and then he went back to walk Sorata." Takafumi pauses to look over at him. "Are you sure you're okay here with milk in one of those bags?"

"Oh, well..." Ritsu looks down at his bags; he did come here on a whim, especially to recover from Aiyuri's grandmother. The poor child left after handing his one of his bags back to him with her grandmother's tugging and chattering of handsome men to find when she gets older.

"If you want, just take those back and then come back here. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

"..? You don't have to be somewhere?"

"...Nope."

"You sure?" Ritsu gets up to see his face when the other turns away reluctantly. "Where's Henmi?"

"Meeting with one of his own clients."

"Oh..." Takafumi was reluctant to tell him something, but what? "I guess I'll head home then, maybe I'll see Misaki along the way."

"..."

"..." Then he saw it. Red. On this ear. "Why are you blushing?!"

"I-I'm not blushing!"

"You totally are! Is it Misaki?!"

"HELL NO! It's-" Takafumi puts a hand over his mouth, obviously embarrassed about something.

"W-what is it then?" Ritsu asks, more hesitantly now. "You're acting weird... Oh!" Ritsu remembers that week back. "Could it be you have a da-"

"N-n-no! I don't!"

"It's okay to say you have a date!" Ritsu says, wondering who the date was with. "Is it with that man um... Kirishima?"

"No! It's just another one of those meet-ups okay? I don't consider those da-dates at all."

"Do you at least like him a little? I-If you don't want to say, it's fine," Ritsu adds, seeing that the older man turned a little bit more red. "I hope you have fun! His daughter seems to like you a lot too."

"Yeah..." It was interesting to see the older man out of his comfort zone.

...

To spare the milk from anymore room temperature, Ritsu decided it was best to leave after a few more minutes. Also, if he started on the meat now, it'll cook enough to become good and soft. After putting down his things on the counter when he got home, he found that his body was in a better condition that he thought initially, considering he didn't feel as much strain on his muscles.

 _'I should start setting up the mat and the candles soon.'_ He makes a mental note to himself as he chops up his vegetables. _'B-but...'_ He bites his lip.

 _'I want... a little revenge for those pictures... That's not weird to want that, is it?'_ What should he do? It had to be something that didn't shift much from his current plan. He wanted to at least... tease him a little- but not using himself, not like... Ritsu blushes, lost in his train of thought. Anything he thought of didn't seem much like revenge at all...

Wait, now that he thought about it, there was a few things that he could maybe do. Continuing to think in that direction, he set aside his vegetables to chop up his chocolate quickly before setting it in a glass bowl over a pot of water, ready to melt it. Now, while watching over his chocolate melting he brought out another pot for his meat that he had cut the night before.

 _'I remember when I tried doing chocolate the first time, and it exploded in the kitchen. Mom was so angry, but Dad and An thought it was funny. The chocolate stayed on the ceiling and we ended up having to call professionals to clean it.'_ "..."

_'I should make them some chocolates later...'_

"Ah..." He glances from the melting chocolate to the uncooked meat, realizing something. _'Shouldn't I have cooked the meat first, season it, and then add the curry before adding the chocolate?'_ Quickly, he turned off the heat on the chocolate before starting the other pot for the meat.

_'Wait, I should make more rice too since most of it was used for morning and lunch...'_

* * *

About 3 hours before midnight, and Masamune was happy that he made it in time. For a little bit of mischief, he didn't tell Ritsu he was coming home. Quietly, he approached the door before inserting the key slowly, opening to see that it was dark inside. Curious, he continued on in when he saw dim lights. "Ritsu?" He calls out, taking off his shoes.

He heard a small "Ah" from the kitchen. "Welcome back!" Suddenly, warm hands were patting him on the chest before finding his hands. His own heart flutters pleasantly. "You... You must b-be tired," Ritsu stammers quietly, as if having memorized a script, "L-let me take off your coat."

"Okay," The older man smiles, unseen in the dark as he lets the brunet take off his coat and put it up on the closet. "What next?"

"Your sweater..." Ritsu whispers quietly, his hands lifting up the ends of the other man's dark sweater. Doing this in the dark felt more embarrassing than he thought.

"And yours?" Masamune huskily answers back, and Ritsu gasps at the hot fingers under his shirt before remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

"Uh n-no, um, just you," Ritsu moves away to be behind his lover, lifting up his shirt once more. "Please lift up your arms."

Chuckling, Masamune lowers himself slightly so Ritsu can pull his shirt off since he was the taller one. Inwardly, the older man rather pin the younger man down now, but he was curious as to see what Ritsu was planning. "Are you going to pull down my pants too?"

"..." He laughs softly at the hands slightly trembling at his waist.

"I'm wearing a belt too, so," he grins at the gasp when he brings the others hands to his front, Ritsu's chest to his back. "You're going to have to reach around like this." _'This is fun,'_ he thinks, feeling Ritsu fumble around for his center, light touches on his skin. When his belt was finally off, Ritsu tosses it away with an triumphant huff, much to Masamune's amusement. He can feel Ritsu stiffen when his hand comes across his growing hard-on, but nonetheless his pants are now off, and he is nudged forward. "So, where am I going?"

"Over here..." Ritsu nudges him, and Masamune badly wanted to see Ritsu with the candle lights around them. He didn't get to see his face once ever since he stepped foot in their darkened home.

"..?" He was being pushed gently to lay on whatever was laid out on his stomach. On his right however, his elbow felt the front of the couch. "Ritsu?"

"Si-since you've been working a lot, I thought that ma-maybe, you'd like a massage so... I've been practicing. I got some pointers from a massager who's a friend of someone I know from the bath house I used to work at, and Misaki."

"..." Masamune frowns. "Who did you practice on?"

"Huh?"

"I wouldn't have minded if you practiced on me. It's better than doing it with a stranger."

"B-but, it was a surprise for you! Also, I wouldn't want to practice on you and hurt your back. I didn't want to possibly hurt anyone else either so I worked on the mattress. Misaki said that it wasn't a really good thing to practice on but I made sure I followed my notes and references with my hands..."

"I see..." He was beginning to become jealous of their own mattress...

"I'm going to start now so..! Please tell me if it hurts, or if you want more pressure there- Ah, hold on." He looks upwards as Ritsu's dim silhouette walks off, watching as the brunet places and lights up more candles. To his pleasure, the younger man looked so particularly wonderful against the soft light of the burning candles. Sensing he was being watched Ritsu smiles nervously as he walks back to behind Masamune, and the older man groans. He can hear the opening of a bottle through the pop of the cap.

"This isn't fair."

"Hm?"

"How am I supposed to relax with a hard-on for you?"

"D-don't worry, you'll relax soon enough," He hears Ritsu trying to say confidently, and then, something liquid and smooth is spilled and spread across his back by warm hands. Shivering, this did nothing to sooth Masamune's hard-on. "Does... does it feel okay?"

"Yeah." Face down, he holds back a frustrated moan at the gentle way Ritsu's hand began small pressures towards his shoulder blades. "I want to touch you dammit."

"I-I'm sorry..." Ritsu whispers back to him, continuing his movements. "Please let me make you feel good."

"Aughh, Ritsu..." Masamune groans, wondering how the latter can say that so innocently.

...

Ritsu didn't realize that his actions would lead to Masamune getting a hard-on; he simply wanted a little revenge being that Masamune couldn't control the situation through his actions. That's why he gathered the courage to keep undressing and moving the man forward despite the older man's teases. Gratefully, the older man let himself be undressed and let forward.

 _'How do I get him to relax better?'_ He didn't want to do it through sexual means- the older man was going to get a massage, and he was going to like it. _'I... I worked too hard to just stop here!'_ "Masamune... um, think about work."

"...what?"

"Th-think about how tiring it can get... especially when sometimes you have to stay longer than usual."

"..." _'Is he thinking about it?'_ Ritsu wonders, hoping it would work. He began applying a little more pressure to where his hands were working.

"Y-You know, today," He decides to begin, "One of your patients recognized me. I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. She said I'm just as handsome as I am in the pictures."

"Hahaha, really?" Came the soft snicker.

"Yeah. It turns out that her granddaughter is the girl I helped babysit that one time."

"Oh, that's such a coincidence."

"I know, right?" Ritsu laughs lightly, before pausing in movement; Masamune's breathing seemed to have deepened while they were talking. "Masamune?"

"...Hmm?"

"N-nothing..." He trails off, resuming his massaging. There was something mesmerizing about the way the older man's back was illuminated by the candles... _'I don't really feel any strain... He probably doesn't really like this either huh...'_

"What's wrong?"

"H-huh?"

"You've stopped."

"..Oh." Ritsu swallows, "Um..."

"It really is relaxing."

"..!" Ritsu falters; how did the older man always know half the time what he was thinking? "...Really?"

"Yeah. But you should know by now, that being with you calms me a lot. I relax the easiest when I'm with you. Though," he sighs, "I'm happy you wanted to do something like this for me."

"..."

"Don't make that face." Ritsu startles, realizing that Masamune had turned to his side to face him. "It really did feel great, after forcing off my hard-on."

"..."

"Sorry, I can't really help it much when I want you."

"I-it's not th-that..." Ritsu stammers, his heart aching painfully for multiple reasons. "I just..."

"..." Masamune reaches out for his hand. "Come here."

"Huh-" The brunet says in surprise, finding himself hugged against the others bare chest.

"You know, I think you need to relax more than me," Masamune continues, running a hand through the younger man's hair. "I'm happy that you try so hard, but it's very easy for you to go overboard and strain yourself." He pulls back slightly to face Ritsu, the latter finding it hard to reign in his feelings. "Why does it seem that I make you cry more than making you smile? You smile because of food more than because of me."

"Hn...n-no I don't..." Ritsu swallows, closing his eyes as Masamune kisses them.

"...I really loved what you made for me, by the way," Masamune begins, smiling at him. "It was delicious, especially the onigiri."

"Really?" Ritsu asks, grateful for the change of topic. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed lighter.

"Yeah. I especially liked the chocolate you sneaked in," he kisses the others forehead. "Did you like what I made?"

Ritsu nods. "Mm, it was really good. I couldn't get to eating the rest of the cookies though- I was so full by then. Ah," Ritsu looks back at him in concern. "Are you hungry? I finished what I was making a while ago." He tries to get up so he can get their plates ready, but Masamune holds him down. "W-what is it?"

"Let's just lay here for a while." Masamune says, feeling at ease as he lay on his back with the brunet alongside him. "You know," He turns his head a little to look at Ritsu, "You look so sexy under the candlelight." Ritsu flusters up quietly, "And it doesn't smell too bad either. It's not too overpowering."

"I tried to find something that didn't smell like anything too much, so I really didn't pay attention to what it was called. I think that maybe it was a flower?" Together, they look up at the ceiling in thought. "Y-you know, you look go-good too, under the light."

"Do I look sexy?"

"Nnh... ye-yes," Ritsu whispers in embarrassment, "You look very... sexy."

"You make it sound like that's the dirtiest word you've ever said," he quietly laughs, amused. He reaches over with no trouble to link Ritsu's hands with his, and he found solace in their comfortable bubble.

* * *

"Do you like it?" Ritsu asks, eagerly watching as Masamune took a bite of his curry. It took them an hour before finally getting up and deciding to take a shower first before eating. "If you want, I can put some up so you can take it to work tomorrow."

Tasting it, Masamune chewed a bit more slowly before swallowing. "It's strange."

"H-huh?"

"Not in a bad way," Masamune adds. "It's really creamy, and the taste is complex but it's good."

"Complex..?" Ritsu repeats, confused. _'Is it because of the chocolate?'_

"It really is good though- it has enough spice to me. If you're so worried, why aren't you eating it?"

"Oh." Ritsu looks down at his plate before taking a spoonful. _'Mm...'_ The brunet couldn't help but agree a little with the older man's comments. _'It does taste strange, but it's good. I'm glad I didn't end up making it too salty...'_

"It's somewhat sweet," Masamune says, before taking another bite. "And the meat's good. I like beef a little more than the others actually."

 _'Oh, good, that's good I chose that,'_ Ritsu smiles a little. _'So he likes beef more...'_

"You really do smile at food more than me." With that, the brunet looks up quickly, confused at the sudden comment.

"I wasn't..."

"You totally were. Even in most of my pictures, it's food you're smiling at. And outside, it's the trees- the scenery you're smiling at. Or Sorata."

"W-well, I-I didn't even know for the most part that you're taking pictures of me!"

"..You got a point." Masamune says, before regarding him seriously. "Smile at me, right now." He takes out his cell phone and puts it on his camera settings.

"Hnnhm..." Ritsu's lips purse, the muscles on his face unwilling to lift up on the older man's orders. "L-like this?"

"No." Masamune frowns, trying to think of something. "Think of me..."

"..?"

"As your favorite dish."

"...pfft."

"Not like that!" Masamune barks, glaring at the brunet's holding back of a laugh, his shoulders shaking. "I'm serious."

"B-bu-but, you're not even my favorite food, let alone..."

"Don't take it too literally!" The older huffs, before stilling at what he was seeing as Ritsu let out his laughter. Sighing, he puts up his phone. _'Cute...'_ The younger man never really laughs so freely like this often; some part of him was happy Ritsu didn't as long as it was only with him.

"You can't really... be a favorite anyone either," Ritsu begins, recovering from his laughing high as he smiles lightheartedly. "Because, you're the only one for me so... w-well I mean," he blushes. "There is only one of you... I-" He stops, noticing now how Masamune was staring at him weird. "What's wrong?"

"...Nothing." Masamune looks down at his finished plate. "I'll wash dishes and clean up, so you can-" He jolts as Ritsu suddenly is in front of him, his plate out of his hands.

"Ah no, no- I'll do it," Ritsu interjects, despite him still not finished eating. "You can go on ahead, I'll just finish and-"

"Nope," he takes back his plate just as fast, walking on towards the sink. "You cooked, so I..." He trails off, staring at what was on the counter near the sink. Fidgeting, Ritsu strays behind, blushing. ' _I should have cleaned up along the way while cooking.'_ Ritsu thought, understanding that his cooking manners sucked. _'Even though I knew one way or another he would insist on doing the dishes...'_ All was silent for a moment.

"You really do surprise me," Masamune smiles softly, before turning to see a shyly retreating brunet, who visibly swallows as the older man approaches him with a familiar glint in his eyes. "...Why are you backing away?"

"T-tt-t-to eat! Hahaha..." Ritsu quickly rushes back to his seat, happily continuing to eat. "It's so good, I'm surprised at myself!"

"It is. Well, if you insist, I'll go ahead and get ready for bed." Masamune puts his dish in the sink and goes, leaving Ritsu afraid for when he finishes and heads off to bed. He was sure the older man wouldn't be asleep by the time he finishes.

_'I'll probably finish in an hour... and then maybe I can go read something for a while... by that time, he should be-'_

"If you don't come back in an hour, I'm going after you." Ritsu stiffens visibly in surprise. "Don't think you can sleep out here either, I'll just pull you right back in. I've been holding in the urge to jump you all day, so from this point forward, the rest of the night is _all mine_." The brunet shifts in his seat to see that Masamune was out of sight now, most likely head to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

 _'What should I do?'_ It wasn't like he didn't want to, but he didn't feel... mentally prepared. _'Also, he has work...'_

"I don't give a damn about work right now!" Came the impatient voice from the room.

 _'Crap, did I say that out loud?!'_ Ritsu blushes in mortification, before going back to eating his food. _'I'll get through this somehow..!'_ He decides to make sure he cleans everything thoroughly in hopes that Masamune would get bored and fall asleep.

He didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2015-)I'm crying this really ended up being longer than I thought so I'll stop here aughaugh...
> 
> Things just don't go as planned cause I like, had 4-5 different scenarios but then woosh here we are. I'm fond of it though.
> 
> However, I am also embarrassed, because I'm in the library for the last parts of this chapter (like right now) and feeling very self-conscious.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2016-) Happy late White Day! Sorry about these slow updates! Fufufu ^u^ It's been about 2 years huh? It's sort of hard to believe haha... Happy late Birthday to me~
> 
> I'll get Ritsu's birthday chapter out soon after this hopefully! Keep watch, and Happy late Easter!
> 
> Update May3/16: School is almost over for now so... Maybe I'll be able to update more.
> 
> Update...It is late July now. (' ^';;) I am sorry. I got stuff going on.

"Thank you, An!" Ritsu says, receiving Aiyuri's invitation to her wedding with a smile. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Of course! I also think it's good for a child like her to experience a wedding at her age." An giggles. "But you have to stay strong, Rittie. You don't want to end up inviting her to everything."

"I-I won't..."

"Hehe," An stretches, mindful of her stomach. "It's hard to believe someone's going to come out of me in a month or so."

"Are you feeling fine?"

"Mmhm, I'm good. Just," An pouts, "Kazu hasn't given me my white chocolate yet."

"An, it's only 10 in the morning..." Ritsu tries to reason, noting to himself that it was a first for him to hear An calling Kazuto by a nickname.

"So? I want chocolate..." She mumbles, irritated. "It's White Day, and I want my chocolate."

"Yesterday, she ate my pickled ginger with some sort of convenience store cheese dip," Tsubaki says in distaste as she passes by them in the living room with a broom. "Just be glad it's chocolate she wants today."

"Ginger... with cheese sauce?" Ritsu mutters, finding that combination sort of disgusting.

"Now that I think about it, Rittie," An looks at him questioningly, ignoring their disgust. "Do you even know where Aiyuri lives?"

"..."

"..."

"Oh." He didn't.

"Rittie..."

...

 _'Maybe if I hang around here, I'll bump into her again,'_ Ritsu thought hopefully, sitting on a bench in front of the bookstore. He hoped he didn't seem out of place. _'I wonder if he's eating lunch now._ " Smiling a little, he wonders if his lover liked the White Chocolate themed bento he made. His finishing touch of wrapping the container with a plain white handkerchief looked like a far cry from a romantic gesture, but it fit with the color scheme at least...

"Dr. Takano?" Confused, he looks up before yelping a little in surprise. Another familiar little girl somehow got extremely close to him without his notice. Short, very dark brown hair... Straight bangs... _'Who was this again?'_

"Dr... Takano?" Ritsu repeats slowly, before recalling faintly of what happened when he was drunk on New Year's. "Oh, you're that little girl..."

"..." The small child cocks her head to side, her expression somewhat calm and sleepy, before seeming to come to a breakthrough with the slight widening of her eyes. "You're Dr. Takano's Sleeping Beauty."

"..." _'WHAT.'_

Smiling, the little girl goes up to sit next to him, her feet not quite reaching the ground from where she was seated. It occurs then to the brunet that this child was probably slightly younger than Aiyuri, who was five if he remembered correctly. "You're awake." She simply says.

"Y-yes, I am." _'She's an odd child.'_ "Oh, that's right..." He looks down at her, remembering what she had done for him; at home, his first ring sat on the nightstand on his side of the bed. "I had forgotten, but thank you for finding my ring." After he said that, it became suddenly brighter in front of him; he was feeling almost blinded by the happy smile that was directed at him.

"What's your name?" Ritsu asks, still not knowing who exactly she was. If he recalled correctly, she was the child of one of Masamune's acquaintances at the hospital.

"Kamijou... Kamijou Shizukesa," She answers after a moment, looking as if she was hoping she said that correctly. "My daddy is Dr. Kusama Nowaki, and my papa is Hiroki."

"I see..." _'WAIT.'_ "Uh, where is the person you're here with today, Shizukesa?"

"Hm? I'm by myself."

"T-that's not good," Ritsu fumbles with the wedding invitation in his hands. "Your parents will be worried!"

"I'm going to Papa right now." He now notices the round satchel she was carrying. "Grandma told me to give him lunch. I already gave Daddy his lunch."

"Ah, I see..." _'To send a child so small out on such an errand, is there no fear?'_ Ritsu thought. However, he didn't fail to notice how well the child was carrying herself. She seemed confident and relaxed enough to be out on her own, despite the fact that she was clearly under the age of 5 or 6.

"I can't drive, so I take a taxi, and two buses here, and back." Ritsu gapes at the child in disbelief. "It's not so hard. Grandma gives me enough money."

"T-that's not..." Ritsu trails off, sighing. "Isn't that a little too much for you?" For a while they sat in silence, before he noticed her staring at him. "What is it?" She smiles warmly at him- her deep, chocolate colored eyes softening at him as if she has known him for more than a day. He looks back at her, bewildered, and her little brows furrow suddenly as if she realized something important... As if she realized that he didn't understand why she was regarding him so gently.

"What's wrong?" Ritsu becomes worried, watching as her expression became saddened. _'This seems familiar somehow...'_ A part of him felt as if he should be knowing why she is getting upset, but nothing in his mind tugged at the sight. There was no memory to recall.

"I can't tell." He startles at her wavering voice, immediately concerned. She turns her gaze from him to her lap, her eyes seeming to narrow so seriously for a small child. "Misaki says I can't tell. It's bad if I tell." She sniffs, before rubbing her suddenly teary eyes. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry!"

"What? I don't..." _'Misaki?'_ Ritsu felt very lost. _'Is it the Misaki I know?'_ "Urk..." He tries to calm the crying child. "D-don't cry! I don't understand but... It's okay if you can't tell me."

"R-really..?" She sniffs, and Ritsu ruffles her hair gently in a attempt to comfort.

"Of course!" _'Though, I really don't understand what is happening whatsoever...'_ For a few moments, she simply sniffs as she stares at him, as if searching for something in him.

"..." She takes out a small package of tissues from her satchel and opens it for a tissue. Sniffing, she looks back to him while holding a tissue to her nose. "Even when you don't remember?"

"...Y-yes." _'Remember what? Did something happen while I was drunk that time? Or..?'_

She sniffs. "Okay..." Smiling again, but still a little sad, she puts away her tissues before grabbing on to his sleeve. "Can you come with me to take Papa his lunch?" It wasn't hard to see that she still wanted to be alongside him for some reason.

"Oh okay," Ritsu agrees with a smile, before getting up on his feet and following on right beside her to wherever her destination was- the invitation to Aiyuri can wait. _'The wedding is months away anyways, so I have time...'_

* * *

"This is where your Papa works?" Ritsu says in awe, gazing around the neat campus. _'I haven't gone to a university in a long time.'_ Occasionally, he has been wondering if he should go back to school. Last time he attended, it was for a degree in Literature.

"Papa is this way," Shizukesa leads him, confidently pulling him along. "When I get older, I'm going to come here."

"Oh?" Ritsu comments, curious. "Do you know what you're going to study?"

"History!" The dark brunette chirps. "I love history, and Papa reads me things all the time."

"He... he reads you history books?"

"Not just history. He really likes classic literature. Then, there are memoires, poems, and autobiographies, but I really like history..." She chatters on, leaving Ritsu stupefied with her knowledge of all those at her age. _'Isn't that a bit too much?!'_ Ritsu screams in his thoughts, amazed. Not a lot of children her age are able to read so much as far as he knew. _'She hasn't even started school yet.'_

"Isn't that Kamijou's kid?" Ritsu slows down a little at the hushed voices close to him, mindful of a few stares from some students as they pass by. "She seems different."

"She's normally quiet."

"I thought she only responded to Kamijou."

"Who's that guy with her? He doesn't look like he goes here."

"Maybe a school teacher? Or a tutor? Do you think he'd come tutor me?" They giggle.

 _'She must come here a lot,'_ Ritsu thought, staring ahead at the small girl still leading the way. After a few minutes, they stop in front of a classroom, and Ritsu peeks in to see a familiar, scowling man instructing. _'He's a professor?'_

"Oh, Papa's still teaching." Shizukesa glances around before leading Ritsu away from a classroom to an office. Ritsu stares nervously at the middle-aged man snoozing away on the only couch in the room. "We can wait here."

"A-are you sure?"

"You don't need to worry about Professor Miyagi." She goes to sit on a chair on what Ritsu assumed was Kamijou's side of the room. Setting her satchel on her lap, she takes out a red bento container. "When Papa gets here, I make sure he eats and then go home."

"Did you eat yet?"

"Yes, I did." She takes out a wrapper of what Ritsu identified as regular doriyaki. "This is my favorite."

"Just doriyaki..?"

"I'm still a little hungry, but I can wait until I get home for dinner."

 _'For dinner?!'_ Ritsu flusters, worried for this child's diet. "I-I haven't eaten lunch yet, so maybe we can go somewhere on your way home?" He offers, wondering where they would go to eat.

"You haven't eaten?" Shizukesa asks, becoming worried for his diet despite her own habits. "Is it because of me?"

"Oh no, no no! I just haven't thought about it until now is all! Don't worry!"

"Dr. Takano will be angry if you don't eat..." She trails off. "Daddy says Dr. Takano is the scariest when he gets angry."

"Eh?" _'The scariest?'_

"Excuse me?" They jolt at the voice before turning to see Hiroki glaring at them from the entrance of the office, arms crossed. "Nowaki said what about who?"

"Papa!" She says happily, getting off the chair to hug him, much to the older man's obvious embarrassment. It was strange to see the scowling man being hugged and regarded so affectionately.

"It's odd to see you so excited here..." Hiroki mutters, using a hand to ruffle her short hair before looking up at Ritsu and frowning. "Oh... You."

 _'M-me?'_ "H-hello." Ritsu stands up to bow a little. "I'm-"

"Don't worry about that, I know who you are," Hiroki waves him off before taking over. "I'm Kamijou Hiroki. Thank you for watching over Shizukesa."

"It's no problem at all!" Ritsu nervously exclaims, feeling slightly intimidated. "P-pardon the intrusion..."

To his relief, Shizukesa immediately carried on over his fluster. "Papa, come eat!"

"Yeah yeah..." He lets her drag him to the chair, and thanks her before opening the bento. As Ritsu wonders again if Masamune liked the bento he made for him, the small child pulls him along to leave the room. "Leaving already?" Ritsu comes out of his thoughts to see Hiroki staring in question at his daughter before turning to him. "Do you mind stepping out of the room for a little bit? I need to talk to her privately." As if caught, Shizukesa shrinks against him.

"O-oh, okay..." Ritsu gently pries her grip from him before stepping out, smiling nervously at the pouting child. _'I hope it's not about me...'_

_'Who am I kidding it's about me...'_

_'I'm technically a stranger and I went along with her...'_

_'Any parent would be suspicious...'_

"Hahaha..." He looks to see the dark haired, middle-aged man who was sleeping on the couch come out of the room. "He noticed I was awake and kicked me out."

"..." _'Eavesdropping?'_

"No need to be so nervous. The name's Miyagi You. Is this your first day here?"

"Y-yes. But I'm not a student."

"Oh? Well, I did hear doctor... I guess you're an acquaintance with Kusama?"

"I suppose you can say that..." _'Just maybe... has he been awake this whole time? If he had heard that...'_

"Little Shizu never really talks or show emotion, so I'm assuming you must be a close friend?"

"Ah, n-no... I technically just properly met with her today."

"I see." Miyagi pauses for a moment. "Strange though... I've never heard her being so talkative- I could hear her all the way from the other side of this hall."

"Is that so..." Ritsu trails off, not able to imagine her being so quiet.

...

"NO!" The two men startle at the voice after a few moments of silence, and Ritsu jolts as Shizukesa runs out of the room to hug herself to one of his legs. "..."

"W-what's wrong?" Ritsu asks, as Miyagi laughs at Hiroki who follows her out with a sigh.

"I wish I could say I didn't expect you to make a child cry, let alone yours, Professor Kamijou~"

"None of your business," Hiroki glares, before frowning at his child. "Shizukesa."

"No. I refuse," she says clearly and quietly, strongly opposed to whatever Hiroki had said to her.

"Did something happen?" Ritsu asks another question, wondering what the source of distress was. His face blanks in confusion as Hiroki presents the doriyaki wrapper that Shizukesa had showed him earlier. "Eh?"

"Everyday, she eats this. I can't have that anymore."

"Come on Kamijou," Miyagi begins, "It's common for kids her age to have a staple snack. I was in love with popsicles at her age."

"This is unhealthy for her; it's enough that I let her eat it once a day."

"Huh?" Ritsu tilts his head. "But... that is one." All he sees is that one wrapper. As if to respond that that, Hiroki presents with his other hand his daughter's open satchel. Promptly, he turns it over to have about a dozen wrappers fall out into a pile on the tile floor.

"..." _'That... that is a lot...'_ He could feel Shizukesa's grip on his legs become a little tighter.

"...Gathered wrappers from one each day?" Miyagi offers.

"I check this bag everyday, Professor," Hiroki sighs, "Don't you dare try helping her case."

"T-that's bad, Shizukesa," Ritsu frets, "My mother would not like it if I did this." _'And Masamune...'_

She turns her face up towards him, on the verge of childish tears. "But it's so good! Grandma says I can buy anything I want if I save enough money."

"No more of this for a month," Hiroki decides, stern. "Grandma has plenty of other snacks at home." He glares at her pleading gaze.

Miyagi laughs at her silent attempt at persuasion. "I see what you mean when you said she reminds you of Nowahhaa-OW!" He rubs his hurt arms before letting himself be pushed into the office to go mind his own business.

* * *

After that meeting, Ritsu found himself leading the sulking little girl to a small café restaurant. The weather into the afternoon had become a little warmer, and Ritsu had his coat off and over one arm. _'She hasn't spoken a word since then...'_

Hopefully here, she would become distracted by the attractive menu? Since it's clear to him now that she didn't seem at all captivated by the scenery outside the window they were sitting near, at a table with four chairs. "The soup here looks great!" He holds up the menu and shows her the pictures beside the soup listing. "I don't know if I want soup, or a sandwich haha..."

No response.

 _'She won't even look at me. Ahh...'_ He was beginning to feel a little discouraged from cheering her up at this point.

"Ritsu?" The two turn to see Chiaki paused in the middle of heading out of the café restaurant, accompanied by the taller man the brunet remembered from the bookstore months prior during Christmas.

"Oh, Chiaki?" Ritsu can see that the taller man of the two didn't seem at all pleased as Chiaki walked to them. "H-how are you?" _'Crap...'_ The taller guy didn't seem to like that he started small talk...

"Good actually! It's the end of the cycle!"

"Cycle?"

"Yup, at work! And who's this?" Chiaki smiles at Shizukesa. "Your niece?"

"N-no..." Now that he thought about it, Ritsu was sure he'd get strange looks if he explained that the child was his husband's associate's daughter that he just met a about and hour or two ago. The only reasonable answer to tell him is that he's babysitting...

"My name is Kamijou Shizukesa," she says quietly, her first time talking after a while. "I am four years old."

"Wah, really? You seem so mature!" Chiaki says. "You should try the parfait here; it's very delicious!"

"Parfait?" The word was foreign to her.

"Yeah! It has fruit in it too, so it has some nutrition."

"Yoshino." The taller man begins, a hand on the other man's wrist now. "We should go."

"What? No way, work just ended and we're free for a while! And it's been long since I last saw Ritsu. You don't mind right, Ritsu?" Chiaki beams at him. Despite the glare he can feel directed towards him and Chiaki, all Ritsu feel he could do was answer honestly.

"N-no, I don't mind..."

"Oh yeah, and this is Tori," Chiaki introduces, before sitting on Ritsu's right. "Hatori Yoshiyuki, but I call him Tori." Since Shizukesa was sitting directly in front of Ritsu, Tori had no choice but to be on Ritsu's left in the only chair left at their table.

 _'This feels so awkward,'_ Ritsu thought, the air becoming a little hard to breathe with the tension coming from his left. _'Today's White Day... So maybe these two were on a date and that's why he's..? Although Chiaki doesn't seem at all phased...'_ Thankfully, someone came to take their order. After he received his soup, and Shizukesa her parfait, he felt even more in an awkward spot since the other two were already full from their meals and just watching.

"This is big..." Shizukesa says in awe at her parfait. "It's the size of my head!"

"Well, if you can't finish, I'll help you!" Chiaki offers, looking at it as well. "Is this your first parfait?" She nods, and as they chatter, Ritsu finds himself deciding to talk to Tori.

"I-I'm sorry, you must have wanted to spend time with him alone..."

"No. It's fine," The older man says, seeming the slightest bit surprised that Ritsu noticed his annoyance. "It's just- work just ended, so it'd be nice if we could go home and relax."

"I see..." A sound of a camera shutter was brought to his attention.

"Yoshino..."

"What, Tori?" Chiaki says, taking pictures of Shizukesa eating. "This is for reference! You should have seen her first bite! It's hard not to capture that expression on her face!"

"...Expression?" Ritsu repeats, looking down at his soup and thinking about some of the pictures that Masamune had taken. _'So, is that what he meant when we were talking a little about the pictures? Are my expressions so photo worthy?'_

"He has my permission," Shizukesa says between bites. "Papa would say no, but I don't mind at all."

"Are you still angry?" Ritsu asks, receiving a furious nod in response.

"Hmm, what happened?" Chiaki asks, curious.

"He won't let me eat doriyaki anymore." The tiny child mutters, before stuffing her mouth with more parfait. However, to Ritsu's amusement, she wipes her mouth afterwards immediately with a napkin in awareness of how she presented herself. _'Her parents raised her very well... She's like a little lady.'_

"Apparently, she eats more than a few a day..." Ritsu decides to add, before taking a spoonful of soup.

"Wow, that's a lot," Chiaki comments, "But that's not good you know. Tori warned me of the same thing with chips and boxes of pocky I got from fans during this one cycle but it was all I had to eat, and I ended up kneeling over sick for a few days. A lot of people were angry."

"We had to postpone work since you weren't able to provide enough material for the assistants to work on..." Tori mutters irritably as one of those 'A lot of people', looking suddenly tired with the memory of it.

"That sounds rough..." Ritsu comments, feeling bad for them. He looks across from him to see Shizukesa staring at Chiaki quietly in contemplation before going back to her parfait. _'She's probably thinking about what he said, huh?'_

...

After saying their farewells to the two men, Ritsu found himself back on the bench in front of the bookstore with Shizukesa. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Shizukesa nods.

Ritsu takes out his cell phone to see that it was already almost the evening mark. Putting it back up and gazing at the bookstore in front of them, he decides that he'll try looking for Aiyuri again tomorrow.

"I'm going to apologize to Papa," he turns to Shizukesa, who was fidgeting with her satchel on her lap. "I understand that he said that because too much is bad."

"That's good," Ritsu says, proud of her.

"And you should visit soon! I want you to meet Arashi."

"Oh?"

"You were drunk last time so I don't think you remember; she's my little sister."

"I see! Maybe, someday..." He ruffles her hair fondly. If he recalled correctly from the faintest recollection of his drunk memories, her little sister was still a baby.

* * *

 _'Not too late,'_ Masamune decided as he left work. Coming home an hour before midnight relieved him greatly, but this meant that well- there was an hour left. Taking out his cell phone, he felt a tad bit worried that Ritsu hadn't answered any of his texts since lunch time. Most likely the brunet had somehow exhausted himself into a nap, or he had forgotten to charge his phone again.

A sound familiar to a snap of a camera shutter shook him out of his thoughts and he glances around. "..?" However, there was no one.

 _'Suspicious...'_ Masamune thought, wary of his surroundings now. He remembers when Ritsu told him of that man going after him with a gun faintly sounded like a camera shutter. _'Though, I have no reason to think I'm being targeted for whatever it is.'_ Perhaps, someone's camera shutter was just extremely loud and he just managed to hear it?

Continuing on his way, he thought about his birthday plans for Ritsu. Since it was just one more workday until the particular weekend, An had begged him to work instead of taking a day off and leave Ritsu to them. Yes, he was a little annoyed at the suggestion because well, it didn't involve him being with them but... he understood that she and her parents wanted Ritsu to themselves.

That was when during the phone call with her he saw a poster for Kyoto. In high school, Ritsu had gotten sick around that time so he wasn't able to attend the trip to there with his classmates in their last year. He figured then that it would be a great opportunity. And so, it was decided then that he would work while Ritsu spent time with his parents and sister. Afterwards he would whisk Ritsu away to Kyoto to celebrate the rest of the night and the weekend; he had already made reservations at a hotel for them to stay at when they go.

"I'm home," Masamune greets quietly, before noticing the lights were on. "Ritsu?"

Clattering from the kitchen revealed the brunet's whereabouts as the older man took of his coat and shoes. "Ah, welcome home! Dinner's ready!"

"Okay." He smiles seeing the younger man, and takes the plates from his unsuspecting hands to lay them out himself. "Do you think you'll be able to eat dessert?"

"Dessert?" There came the faint blush as the brunet's expression indicated the correct guessing that that was his White Day gift. _'So adorable.'_ He kisses the brunet's forehead before going to grab the utensils. Looking over as he opened the drawer, he can see that what Ritsu made looked really good. "You liked beef, so I seared it and put it in the oven... Then I made the sauce with white chocolate. Is it good?" Ritsu asks, having seen the older man look at it while he took two small plates to portion the meat and sauce onto them.

"It looks really good," Masamune comments, anticipating to taste it. It made him nervous as well; he hoped Ritsu will like what he made for him.

He could tell that Ritsu really did his research; the sear marks looked very... professional. Cutting a piece away and taking a bite of it, his brow raises at the taste. _'Pretty good...'_ The older man thought, impressed as he looked to the fidgeting brunet watching him nervously.

"You didn't hurt yourself while cooking this, did you?"

"Oh um, no... but," Ritsu admits, "A pot did fall on my foot. I'm fine though! My foot just turned red a little is all."

"You sure?" The brunet nods frantically as if to assure him, but it didn't soothe Masamune's worry.

"I really am feeling fine."

"If you say so," Masamune answers, secretly keeping in mind to look at the foot in particular later before praising him. "It tastes really good. It looks great too."

"Really..? That's great," Ritsu sighs, before picking at some of the sauce on his plate fondly. "I'm really happy the sauce turned out fine. I was worried it was going to become burnt. Don't eat just those though, there are still the greens- eh?" Green eyes blink questioningly at the other taking off his work tie, placing it down on the table before sliding it to him. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"It's for after dinner."

...

Everything around him feels different. Nervously, Ritsu gulps from the stool he was guided to sit on with the tie wrapped and tied around his face over his eyes. He only saw darkness. With that darkness, he became more aware of the sounds his lover was making while constructing his white day gift. "Do I really have to wear this, Masamune?"

"Yeah. After all, this is a surprise. I would have asked you to take a shower but you already did so..."

"I could have sit on the couch, or stay in the room..."

"No way. Seeing you here now all fidgety and cute is way better than that." Ritsu jolts as a hand gently grips a side of his waist, startled. "Yeah, this way is much better."

"N-not fair..." Ritsu protests weakly, receiving a chuckle and a kiss on the cheek in return.

For the next few minutes, the brunet wondered what was taking so long. He could hear the sounds of something being pressed with something hot, a spray can, and small clinks between utensils.

"If I can't finish it... will you finish it with me?" He asks.

"Yeah." A silence followed, and Ritsu wonders again what was taking long.

 _'Maybe, it looks good, but he doesn't think so?'_ Briefly considering the risk, he slowly raised his hands to pull down the tie cautiously.

 _'Ohh...'_ He stares at what he thought was a big waffle bowl sundae in awe. _'It looks like something I would buy straight from the café!'_ The top had nicely whipped cream and fruit toppings along with chocolate shavings, and not to mention the chocolate writing on a placed white chocolate-made name plate that read-

"..?" _'HAPPY WNITE... RAY? White Day? Why did he write in English?'_ Ritsu tries hard not to find it funny, keeping his mouth shut. _'The shops do have most pastries and such with English lettering on them...'_ Peering up at the side of Masamune's face that he can see, he smiles affectionately at the frustrated expression that was clearly displeased. _'Did he try to write it out of memory but got it mixed up?'_ He was reminded that he was better in English than his lover.

 _'But why is he stuck? He could just take the flat chocolate out, or smear it...'_ Quickly, he pulls the tie back up over his eyes before he could get caught.

"Can we eat it now...?" He dares to ask, anticipating the answer.

"No, not yet." There was a long pause before he heard a quiet crunch, followed by barely audible chewing.

"..." _'Is he... is he eating it?'_ Ritsu swallows, resisting the urge to laugh. His lips quivered as his shoulders shook, trying to resist letting out a sound. This had somehow become irresistibly funny. _'Eating the evidence...'_

"You looked, didn't you?" The brunet straightens up in his seat, before letting out an exhale full of quiet, breathy laughter. "Asshole," Masamune mutters quietly. "Your shoulders are shaking too."

"I'm sorry! I just wondered what took so long... I-it was so quiet." Ritsu coughs, trying to get all the giggling out of him. "Haha...ha..."

"I thought I could do it, but then I got stuck with wondering if I should have spelled something else and it came out like that. I should have just spelled 'Happy White Day' in our usual spelling." Masamune sighs in irritation before taking the tie off of Ritsu and getting him off the stool. "Sorry."

"No, it looks very good! Oh," Ritsu peers in closer and sees more than one ice cream flavor and colors the size of golf balls. "You must have bought lots of ice cream for this."

"I actually wanted to try making some, but I haven't had enough time so..." To further explain by demonstration, the older man simply opened the freezer door. Sure enough, small cartons of different ice cream flavors have been stacked into the entire top shelf. Intrigued, Ritsu went to read off the flavors silently, becoming more and more elated with the fact they were flavors he would want to eat.

"Don't eat too much in one setting." Masamune says, gaze softening at the brunet's eager expression. "You look like you think you can finish it all in an hour."

"I-I won't!" Ritsu hotly denies, before putting up the cartons and shutting the freezer door. He walks back to be in front of the sundae, taking up a spoon and readying himself. "Come on, let's eat-oh." Ritsu pauses in thought before looking at Masamune and his state of dress. "It's a bit late to start eating this, huh? I need to start a bath for you too."

"No, it's fine..." Masamune trails off, moving forward to stop Ritsu from putting the sundae up. "At least take a bite." He takes the spoon and puts some of the ice cream to the brunet's mouth. "Good right?" Ritsu's expression was practically sparkling after tasting what was given, before gradually looking guilty about having taken a bite, casting yearning glances to the sundae.

"I just made you want more, didn't I? Just do it."

"I won't eat it!" Ritsu flusters, before trying to put up the sundae. "We'll eat it for breakfast."

"While I shower, you can eat it."

"But, I want to eat it with you," Ritsu sets back down the sundae as he murmurs that, staring down at it. "There's nothing wrong with eating it in the morning."

But there was, Masamune had decided inwardly. He made it for Ritsu to enjoy White Day, not on the morning after. At that point, it would just be eating dessert for breakfast. Plus, in all honesty, he wanted to eat with Ritsu too. After the brunet made such an expression when he took the first bite, now he wanted to enjoy it as well.

"Maybe..." Ritsu raises his head to look up at him, struck with an idea. "We can eat in the bath?"

Masamune was going to open his mouth to say that wouldn't be a good idea, but shut it as he realized quickly that Ritsu put 'We' and 'bath' in the same sentence so easily.

* * *

"Good thing I only brought a half of it," Ritsu says in relief, looking in their bowl of sundae. "It's melting faster than usual."

"Well, we are in a bath." Masamune reminds him, before opening his mouth to receive a bite of whichever flavor it was; it tasted like mocha and strawberry this time.

"There's something about eating dessert in a bath that feels so refreshing, don't you think?" The brunet takes in a spoonful in his mouth before sighing contently. "It's not too sweet, nor too cold..."

"Glad you like it." Masamune chuckles, before brushing back some of the other's hair seeing some water droplets fall dangerously close to inside the bowl. "How much is left?"

"Just a little more."

"Good." Ritsu flusters as he was pulled to sit further on Masamune's lap with his back to the older man's chest. "You finish it, okay? I'm satisfied."

"Okay." The brunet complies, eagerly bringing another spoonful to his mouth. This went on for a few minutes before he turned to see Masamune resting deeply with closed eyes, relaxed. "Masamune?"

Hearing no response, Ritsu continues to finish what he has before leaning over to set the bowl down on the tile.

"Leaving?"

Startled, Ritsu pulls back. "Oh no, I just- hngh?!" He jolts at the hand on his butt, blushing. "I-I was going to sit back down..."

"Oh, okay." Masamune continued to caress his soft skin. "We should get out soon."

"Y-yeah..." Ritsu stammers, before awkwardly sitting back with the older man's hand still on his behind. "Can- Can you move your hand?" When the other does so, he sighs in relief before leaning back against him. "Thank you." He lets himself be hugged, with the other's chin on his shoulder.

"Your foot. Lift it up." Masamune remembers, reaching a hand over to get Ritsu to pull up his legs one at a time to find what he was looking for. "Does it still hurt?" It was the brunet's left foot that was still reddened on the side.

"It feel fine. It just hurts a little when I press it to something, really." He stifles a snicker as the older man feels over his foot.

...

Masamune wondered if Ritsu knew he was wearing one of his shirts again. It looked so big on him, and so cute- oh. Lights are off now, and he couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. He felt it when the younger man joined him in bed, and groaned inwardly. He wanted to do it, despite how tired he sort of felt. At times like these, he becomes extremely aware to how Ritsu presses up against him. Suddenly, the tip of his nose was to the brunet's hair, and he could smell the man's pheromones and shampoo- he takes a deep breath before shifting himself a little away from him.

 _'Shit.'_ Ritsu was pressing himself to him again, and this time, he felt arms wrapping around him. He curses even more as he felt the brunet's cheek nuzzling his chest, the urge to jump becoming insanely high.

"... w. ki..?"

Masamune blinks for a moment before looking down at what he can see of Ritsu's face in the darkness. "What?"

There was a long pause before he was answered, and at that point, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness. He was just about to reach over and turn on the lamp on Ritsu's side of the nightstand until the tug on his shirt. "C... can we kiss?" Oh.

This was... Was this what he thought it was? Quickly, he tilted his head down to stare at him, his eyes adjusting enough to see the other's face.

"..!" He pounced on him without a second to wait, his actions enough for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2016-)I love remembering that hotel chapter haha, Ritsu trying not to laugh and his shoulders giving away his resistance.
> 
> I think I'll do an M scene again later... but this for the most part is rated T... I think. Next chapter, Ritsu's birthday part 1, unless I manage to fit it all in. So probably part 1.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2017-)(/ ; u ; )/ Sorry it's been so long guys! I've graduated uni and trying to find work so for now I'm doing house stuff and just... don't feel like typing. And it's already been past a full year or so since I've last updated ahhhh...
> 
> Hard to believe that I started this story about 4 years ago, thank you guys who are reading and still reading!  
> Looking back, I realize I didn't do enough research for the medical stuff but I digress! It's fun to see how much my writing changes, and I'll try better as I go!
> 
> I know there are some of you having tests and exams soon or even graduating or ending your semester but anyhow, I wish you guys good luck and happy studying!  
> Ritsu's birthday chapter will be soon... hopefully~
> 
> Update/April/May2018: Sorry again! It's been busy and I got a job!

About within a week before his beloved's birthday, Masamune found himself in a dilemma.

He wanted to gift Ritsu more than just a trip to Kyoto, amongst other stuff. So, on this particular Sunday, while his love was out spending time with his mother, Masamune found himself at Mizuguchi Mall.

Now, the older man has bought clothes for Ritsu before, like when they were leaving the hospital last year and such because it was cold and Ritsu needed new sweaters, but this time is different. This was for Ritsu's BIRTHDAY. _'What should I get..?'_ Thought the dark haired man, looking around while walking aimlessly. _'He probably would like a cat, but...'_ Masamune sighs before heading into a clothing store; the cat would have to wait until later. _Way_ later. As much as he likes cats as well, he really didn't want anyone else residing with them yet.

"Suits huh..." Masamune mutters to himself as he realizes what store he's in, before browsing through some of them. He took out his phone to find his notes about Ritsu's sizes. _'Now that I think about it, I could give him my old suit for job interviews, but it would be better to get him his own right? Oh- wait.'_ Just now, he remembered that An was going to get him a new suit.

...

At the next store he entered, he found himself staring into the eyes of a soulless stuffed bear. _'Would he like gifts like this?'_ Masamune wonders before hearing something totally ridiculous coming from the other guy next to him.

"I would like to buy everything in this whole store."

 _'Haaaah?!'_ Thought Masamune, turning his head and gaping at who he saw. The ash-blond haired man was immediately recognizable, and it briefly brought memories of Christmas and irritation to the 28 year old man. _'Is he serious?'_ If Masamune had listened carefully, he would have heard the soft thud coming from the store's manager in the backroom.

As if he sensed the presence of Masamune and his disbelief, Usami Akihiko turned to look and froze at the sight of him. It was then that he saw it- a particular emotion flickering through that frozen, violet stare.

**_Remorse... and maybe a bit of fear._ **

_'What?'_ Masamune thought in bewilderment towards the frozen man. _'Is he remembering what happened on Christmas?'_

The expression on the other man's face came as fast as it went. Masamune frowns in confusion as Usami had his head downwards, his hair shielding his eyes. "...Is ...he with you today?" He asks.

"Huh? Ritsu?" As Usami nods, Masamune couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. "No, he's out somewhere else today. Why?"

"..." Seeing that he wasn't going to reply as fast as he wanted, Masamune decided to wing it and took out his wallet. "Ah, I'll pay you back." Usami looks at him in confusion, and Masamune couldn't help but begin to feel a little tired with the other man as he opened his wallet. "You gave too much to Ritsu for that manga so I'll pay you back."

"No..." Usami replies with furrowed brows, before taking out his own wallet -which seemed unusually bulky- and, in a hurried fashion- slammed rolls of yen banknotes into Masamune's open wallet before high-tailing out of the store like a rabbit escaping the clutches of an natural predator.

"What..." Was all Masamune could say as he looked at the entrance of the store through which the ash blond left, never feeling more confused in his entire life. A few seconds later, he looks down at his wallet before finding himself feeling extremely pissed. It didn't help that the other customers were gawking.

 _'Who the hell keeps this much banknotes on him?!'_ Masamune thought, before angrily failing to close his wallet properly and stuffing it back in his coat pocket. He didn't have to look through it to know that whatever amount he was given was a lot. Out of the store now and walking towards an escalator, Masamune looks around to find no Usami in sight. _'What's with that guy?'_ He sighs in aggravation before taking out his cell phone.

...

[Hello?]

"Yo, it's me." Masamune greets, from a seat in the second floor's café. "I have a question to ask."

[What? Did something happen to Ritsu?] Yokozawa asks on the other line, concerned.

"..." _'Ritsu?'_ Masamune thought, thinking about how Usami asked about him- wondering about what that strange, remorseful look was about- And then it came to him. To think, at first he was just going to ask Yokozawa if the ex-author-now-prosecutor acts that way to everyone. "Hey..." He begins, tense.

[What is it, Masamune? What's wrong?]

"Ritsu's care in the hospital..." He continues slowly, "We didn't have to pay a thing."

[Yeah. What about it? Why are you bringing it up now?]

"You don't happen to know who paid it... do you? You said it was anonymous, but you know who paid it right?"

[Well, it... it was anonymous-]

"But you do know right? It's the same person who hit Ritsu after all." Masamune frowns, wondering two things: Why Yokozawa decided to keep this information from him even after Ritsu healed, and wondering why he himself didn't realize this until now. "You were the one who was with Ritsu and called the hospital, and you knew what type of car it was, and it's color. You know who he is."

There was a brief moment of silence before Yokozawa responded. [...] A sigh on the other line. [Usami wished to remain anonymous. Did... did you see him today?]

"Yeah, he tried to buy a whole store of stuffed bears before handing me banknotes and running away."

Yokozawa sighs again on the other line, sounding tired. [He... It hit him hard, when he found out Ritsu was a fan of his. I didn't mean to make him feel bad about it. There was some nosy press too at the time, and his family paid them off. Then, before I knew it, he had suddenly quit being a writer and was on his way to being a prosecutor. It wasn't that complicated for him too since he already had a law degree.]

"Did... do An and them know?"

[No, just me. He really didn't want you guys to know, especially Ritsu. ...Does he know?]

"No, I just now figured it out. He wouldn't let me pay him back for this thing that happened during Christmas. Is he always carrying around so much yen with him?"

[Probably. For Christmas, he bought tons of suits for Misaki and tried to give him his own bank account and checkbook. Thankfully, we got him to cancel that.]

"...Did he not give Misaki a special edition manga of Za Kan?"

[Oh, that? He gave it to Misaki as a late birthday gift. Wait, how do you know about that?]

"He bought it off Ritsu and I on Christmas. That day too, he gave Ritsu a bunch of banknotes in return."

[Ah... I'm sorry about all this. To be honest, I thought it was better to not have you guys know. It didn't seem to matter to Ritsu.]

"No, you're right. Even now, he doesn't care to know." Masamune smiled in affection for the brunet. "If I tell him now it'll give us an unnecessary bother, so I won't mention it."

[Good. Um, you won't go after him, right? Usami.]

" _Hah?_ What kind of guy do you think I am?" The older responds, annoyed that he was thought of as such a bully. "If anything, next time I see him, I'm going to tell him to stop with the handouts. It pisses me off."

[Haha, yeah. You do that.] Yokozawa laughs. Apparently, Masamune supposed, Yokozawa must not be that busy today if they could talk this long.

[OY oy, _Takafumi_ , what's taking you so long?] Masamune raises his brows at hearing another man's muffled voice. He can hear Yokozawa hissing at being caught, and held back a laugh.

"Don't tell me, you ditched your date to talk to me?"

[I-It's not like that! His daughter needed help with homework so I'm here with them and then... She went to go play with a friend...]

"I see..." Masamune drawls, amused. "And you're still there right? Alone with him now, right? And then, you locked yourself up in their bathroom when he tried making moves on you?"

[...I'm hanging up.]

As he put up his phone, Masamune snickered for a few seconds before carrying on with his quest for Ritsu's birthday gift.

...

This looked great; Masamune held up the dark cardigan as he felt the fabric up, and imagined Ritsu in it. The brunet liked this type of clothing too; glancing around, he spotted a register area and went on his way to purchase it.

*click* Hearing the familiar sound, Masamune immediately turned his head to find the source of the sound- only to find himself looking for no one in particular. _'The hell...?'_ Weary, he then continued his way to the register to buy his gift and then get the hell home.

* * *

"Masamune?" Ritsu calls after he shuts the door quietly behind him. "I'm home!"

Hearing no response, the brunet walks further in after taking off his shoes to find said man napping on the couch with a peaceful expression. The man didn't answer his texts earlier, so Ritsu had wondered what had happened. Smiling, Ritsu carefully laid himself close to the slumbering man on the couch before relaxing against him.

 _'I wonder what important errand he was doing earlier. Maybe it had something to do with the rent?'_ Tilting his head upwards, he stared at his sleeping lover. _'He said he wanted to eat out earlier, should I wake him up?'_ He tilts his head back to rest his cheek against the other man's chest before closing his eyes. _'Sleeping a little bit more should be fine...'_

When Ritsu woke up, he found himself still nestled against his husband who was still asleep. _'Oh no... What time is it?'_ He reached into his back pocket for his phone to see that it was now near 9pm. _'Oh, it's not that bad.'_

"Masamune," Ritsu starts shaking the older man gently. "Masamune, let's go eat!"

Startled out of his sleep, the dark haired man opened his eyes with a shaky breath before seeing that Ritsu was settled next to him. "R-Ritsu?"

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you." Ritsu carefully sits up with him. "I came home earlier but I saw that you were sleeping so..." Ritsu laughs nervously at feeling caught. "It's about time for dinner though- where did you want to go?"

"Oh. Masamune ruffles his own hair while he gathers his thoughts. "I wanted to go eat ramen. How was it with your mother?"

"It was really nice! I helped her do laundry, and we went to the park together. And um..." Ritsu pauses for a moment. "This is weird but, it turns out we married on my father's birthday." He laughs nervously at Masamune's surprised expression. "Mom had asked me when it was, and she told me I had promised him I'd get married on his birthday with the person I love so... it's weird huh? Even though I forgot about that promise."

"Huh..." Masamune trails off thoughtfully, before getting up to put on his coat. "What kind of promise is that?"

"Ahh, I still don't truly remember, but I'm sure he was just excited for whoever I wanted to marry." Ritsu laughs, "I was the kind of child that kept my promises, so maybe it stuck to me unconsciously." As Masamune stayed mysteriously quiet as he put on his coat, Ritsu couldn't help but feel a little tense, wondering if something was wrong. However, it was just that the older man was too happy for words. "Is it okay if we keep the date as is? Or maybe we can remarry for another date if you want."

"Hm? Yeah, of course. After all, you don't break your promises right?" Masamune snickers at him before handing over his coat. "Changing the official date just for a certain date is unnecessary anyways."

"Ah yeah... you're right." Ritsu startles when the older man ruffles his hair fondly again, before leaning in to the other's palm as it goes to rest on his cheek. Masamune's hands were almost always warm and lightly calloused. "Oh!" He was reminded of something from earlier. "An showed me some videos of a wedding game where one of them is blindfolded, and they have to feel to find out which one is their bride or groom amongst the bridesmaids or the groomsmen." Ritsu grabs Masamune's free hand to hold it against his other cheek. "Could you tell if it was me if you were blindfolded?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely." Masamune answers, feeling Ritsu's warmth and smooth skin from his palms as he cups the younger man's face. Then, he moves his hands to take Ritsu's hands to his face. "And you?"

"Y-yes..." Ritsu blushes a little, feeling the warmth from Masamune's cheeks, before moving his hands up a little to feel the slight wrinkles on the sides of the older man's eyes with his thumbs. Since the day they met, the way he felt with Masamune was more... _different_ (or maybe _special_ is the right word) than with everyone else he has met. It'll probably always feel that way.

 _'Shit,'_ Masamune thought at that moment, watching as Ritsu begins smiling sweetly while still touching his face. _'He's sooooooooo cute right now.'_ Quickly, he grabbed those hands and began pulling the younger man along as he headed for the door. "We're never going to eat at this rate; let's go."

"O-oh, okay!" Ritsu replies in surprise, letting himself be pulled along.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2019-)Happy Birthday Ritsu! Late birthday at the most... and Masamune.

Ritsu woke, rubbing his eyes as he shook off the sleepiness. When he came to, he couldn't help but smile brightly. _'Today is...!'_ He looks to the empty space beside his, and glances around for any sign of the darker haired man.

"Oh, you're up?" Said man walked out of their bathroom, buttoning up his black dress shirt with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Ritsu."

Smiling, Ritsu got out of bed happily before going up to the older man. "Thank you! You know, there's an aquarium that opened up a while back... I saw a video the other day and they added a new area and I thought it'd be fun if we go! It's _my_ birthday after all," Ritsu says, staring excitedly at the other. Since Masamune got to do whatever he wanted on his birthday, now it was his turn surely?

However, he was met with a surprised look on his lover's face, and then a guilty expression. "..."

"What? What's wrong?"

"...An and them didn't tell you?"

**\- 8 minutes later -**

_'Ah.'_ Masamune thought, as he watched a frowning Ritsu change clothes; when their eyes met, the younger huffs before turning around while changing. Masamune raises his brows at the silent treatment before watching Ritsu struggle to get his pants on securely, while bending to pick up the undone tie that had slid off his shoulders.

When he couldn't help but snicker at the sight, Ritsu jolts straight up and turns to glare at him with an irritated blush before heading to the bathroom to get ready in private. _'So this is what it's like when he's angry with me.'_ While it was sort of cute, Masamune couldn't help but feel guilty again. However, he felt that the blame should go more towards his in-laws.

After all, it wasn't his fault that they wanted to spend most the day with Ritsu while Masamune himself went to work -even Kazuto was still going to work. This was supposed to have been a fun surprise too- but it was okay. It has been a long time since Ritsu celebrated his birthday with his family.

He wouldn't get of work until around 10 or so, but there would still be time for him to pick up Ritsu and head for the train to Kyoto. He had the tickets in his coat pockets, and had already packed clothes for Ritsu and him in their suitcase that he had hidden in the study room.

As he headed out to get his coat on along with his shoes, he thought about Ritsu's birthday present, the one other than the trip to Kyoto- the dark cardigan. He had left it at work since he was afraid that somehow Ritsu would find it in the apartment. He still hoped Ritsu would like it.

After he put on his shoes, Masamune was caught off guard as Ritsu came and embraced him from the front. "Ritsu..?"

 _'What is he-'_ He was definitely even more caught now at the expression he was given. With those troubled green eyes looking up at him pleadingly, Masamune swallowed as he felt his heart rate speed up. He's never seen Ritsu gaze at him like this before with such begging in his eyes. "What-what is it?" Oh god, was the effect that bad? He even stuttered. Masamune swallows again to rehydrate his dry throat, and to resist the feeling rising up in his lower region. Those eyes were still staring straight at him, oblivious to the other man's nervousness.

Ritsu was definitely becoming more used to eye contact.

"Next year, we do what I want on my birthday like we do for yours... Promise me?" Ritsu asks, gently tightening his embrace as he waited for Masamune to answer him. Masamune swallows in nervousness again, wondering if the brunet knew how sweet his voice was sounding, and the effect it was doing to his body. When the older agreed with a quiet "Unh" sound, the brunet smiles in thanks before letting go to put on his own shoes.

Oh, how he wanted him now- the brunet really does not realize the effect he had on him. Masamune let out a shaky sigh he didn't realize he was holding.

Now that he thought about it, Ritsu was a bit of an natural airhead- it probably never occurred to the younger that he could use his charm for 'other things'. By this point in time, Masamune figured, if Ritsu had used his charm on him, they would for instance, have like 4 Roombas and maybe 3 cats. He would also probably let Ritsu buy whatever he wanted during sales; the brunet was the type to get drawn in and wanting to buy things that they didn't necessarily need.

Like, who needed a mechanical clothes hamper that could talk to you and sort out your clothes automatically? Or a mini dishwasher that sings to you? It's just as easy to do it yourself, honestly. "..."

...You know what? He could stand to stay strong during sales. It's for Ritsu's best interest as well; they really don't need to buy stuff like that, no matter supposedly cool or innovative it is.

* * *

"AND what are you doing here?!" Eru scowls, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She knew very well whose birthday it was. Other nurses looked over in curiosity at the duo.

"You know why, and you're still asking?" Masamune snickers, raising a brow as he headed for his office.

She let out a 'tsk' before following him. "Well, I figured you'd end up not listening to them and would, you know, whisk him away?"

"I would have. But," He sighs, "They haven't had a proper birthday with him in a long time."

"What about you?" Eri asks, understanding the situation, "Even if you have tonight, and later with him, isn't it kind of unfair for them to leave you out?" She pauses. "...You're his family too."

"Well, I have next time. Also..." Masamune trails off, remembering the moment after he left Ritsu with his family near the park to go to work:

_He remembered the way the cherry blossoms blew across the road when he turned his head to watch Ritsu talking with his mother while he walked away towards the hospital._

_And he continued to gaze at him as some blossom petals landed in the brunet's hair, only to be blown away by a passing breeze. Then, when he was caught staring from afar, while everyone else entered the park to find a spot to sit at, Ritsu simply stared back before..._

Before...

 _'DAMN IT!'_ Masamune cursed inwardly as he thought about that moment. _'I should have taken a picture!'_

It was a memory that was becoming more enticing as he kept remembering it; the way Ritsu's expression became so... yearning.

Longing for him from afar, wanting him to stay- _'Aaaaaahhhhh I definitely should have taken a picture... Auuuuuuugh.'_ Instead of taking a picture at that moment, he had instead kept walking while still staring back at Ritsu like a gaping fish before accidentally bumping into an old lady waiting for the light to let them cross the street.

 _'Maybe I should have just... whisked him away right then and there...'_ He eventually sighs in disappointment against his office door, regretting his decision to come to work.

While Eru didn't know exactly what he was thinking of, she could however, understand who he was thinking of, and pats his arm with a small smile. "You'll get through today."

…

"Rittie? Are you alright?" An asks, seeing that Ritsu seemed lost in thought with his hand over his mouth. For their day with Ritsu, they had decided to take him cherry blossom viewing.

"Ah, I'm okay, just..." Ritsu continues to hide his smiling with his hand as he thought about Masamune. He didn't know what face he made at the older man but, if it had the effect of getting his lover accidentally stumbling into another person... It was rare to see the other like that, when most of the time it's Ritsu himself the one often being clumsy.

His expression softened without him realizing, and so An's giggling distracted him from his thoughts. "You're thinking about him huh?" Ritsu regards her with confusion. "You always get that look on your face when you're thinking of Masamune- especially in your eyes."

He stiffens at the observation, his ears reddening. "Ha- hah?! Wha-what look? What," Ritsu laughs nervously, before jolting at the deadpan expression from his mother, and the laughter from his stepfather. "Mom?! Dad?!"

An puffs her chest out proudly, with one hand on her pregnant belly. "I knew it from the start, you know? When you started crushing on him in middle school I had thought something was up back then, but Mom didn't believe me!" At that, Tsubaki let out a disgruntled sound before taking a sip of tea from her thermal cup.

"Ritsu," His stepfather begins, "I hope we weren't too selfish in taking you out with us today." The younger man regards him, bewildered at the change of topic.

"Yeah, Rittie!" An follows after her father, grabbing one of Ritsu's hands. "You see, I asked Masamune if he could continue to work today- no, beg! For Kazu though, he really did have to work and..." She pauses, and her expression becomes a bit sheepish. "We just... we really wanted to come out here with you, together, as a family- the family before us kids got married."

Oh... _'Before we both got married huh...'_ He couldn't help but give a small smile at that thought before looking over at his mom, who seemed to be suddenly engaged with a cherry blossom petal in her cup of tea.

"You were so small, just like this," She starts quietly, reminiscing. "And for me, I can still remember those days well." At that, the brunet recalls the times little him would always attach himself to his mother. Ritsu wondered then how she must have felt- to have a child you raised so preciously... become steadily independent and forging their own connections to the world around them. He couldn't help but swallow painfully, feeling that familiar tightness in his throat as he watched her regard her tea with a small, gentle smile.

To her surprise, Ritsu moves himself to sit closer to her, and she smiles gratefully as she pours an extra cup of tea for him. There wasn't much of a need of words between them as they drank together peacefully while watching their father-daughter opposites.

"Ahhaha," His stepfather regards An with a sad smile. "It feels like just yesterday you could hardly tie my neckties properly, and now you only do your husband's neckties..."

"Geez Dad," An pouts, a little embarrassed. "You know I still live with you guys right? I still do your ties too when you ask. Also, you have Mom."

"You know, Ritsu," The older man gossips, beckoning the younger to pay attention to him, "The other day, she actually almost mixed up our laundry- she almost gave me Kazuto's leopard underwear."

"D-Dad shhh! He doesn't need to know that!" An objects, mortified since they were in public. "It was just one time!"

Ritsu couldn't help but smile at them, feeling that sense of nostalgia as they relaxed under the cherry blossoms. _'We really are grown up now, huh...'_ Eventually, he becomes lost in thought, his spring green eyes gazing in the direction of the hospital.

Now that he thought about it...

They never got to formally view cherry blossoms together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2019-)Woohoo I finally got this one out! Second part will be later!
> 
> For me, when I read it at my pace, I can imagine and feel the shift in mood better. Sometimes when I reread what I type though I can see that it sometimes feels that things move fast. I try to imagine as if it's manga or anime.
> 
> Thanks for being patient!


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2019-)Ritsu's b-day part 2! It's been a while sorry! Read the last chapter if ya need to!

The sun was high in the sky as Ritsu walked with An towards the small park they used to play at, chattering away. It wouldn't be until the evening that he had to go to the train station to meet up with Masamune.

"Really?! So it wasn't in middle school that you guys first met, but here- and at the sandbox of all things..." An realizes aloud in amazement. "I do remember Dad pushing me, and getting tea for Mom..." Said parents had left earlier to prepare lunch at the house.

"We were really young then huh? Before they got officially married to each other too."

"Yup! …" As if she was suddenly lost in thought after saying that, Ritsu stops his walking in bewilderment when she stopped walking.

"An?"

Seeing that she wasn't responding to his call, he pokes her cheek. Startled, the brunette was brought out of her train of thought. "Ah, sorry Rittie, it's just..." She puts a hand to her chin, "How to put it...?"

"What is it?" Ritsu asks, concerned. He holds up his hand over An's face to shield her from the sun. "It is a bit sunny today, let's find some shade." Despite her light protests, he finds them a nice bench under the shade of some trees. Petals were everywhere though, so they spent some time brushing their seat off. An watched with a smile as the other began getting quickly fascinated with their surroundings. It was times like these that made her feel like the 'older' sibling despite them being around the same age.

"Rittie, you know..." An begins, facing away from him as they sat. "We've never been alone like this in a long time."

"...Oh." _'That's right,'_ Ritsu thought, as they contemplated about this realization. _'Someone else was always with us. I don't think we've been alone like this since I left home. Even when we're on the phone someone was around.'_

"You know Rittie," She faces him with a serious expression, "Were you okay? When you first woke up."

"Huh?" Ritsu says, confused, "When I woke up?"

She brings her hands together on her lap, her brows furrowed. "We were so caught up with the fact that you woke up, I don't think we thought at the time about how you were feeling on the inside. You must have been very confused- I mean, last you saw me before then I wasn't pregnant and married."

"Ah, it was fine, really," Ritsu replies, not wanting her to feel bad. He can see that she simply wanted to know and talk with him more again in depth. "I think you still asked me how I was though..?"

"This is different Rittie, it's about how you truly feel. You..." She pauses in hesitation, "Even when we visited you other times, you always seemed confused about something. I was worried if the accident gave you occasional memory loss or something."

"...Eh?" _'Did I? I always seemed confused?'_

"I could see it on your face Rittie! I wondered if maybe that was why Masamune kept coming back to the room to see how you were doing while he was working..."

_'Masamune?'_

_'Ah,'_ Ritsu recalls, _'It's cause he became so different I wasn't used to it.'_ "That was..." He laughs lightly, understanding now what she was worrying about. "I suppose you can say that I was confused about him. I wasn't used to Masamune."

"You weren't used to him?" An mirrors, interest piqued. "Well, I guess he does talk more than he did back then."

"No, not just talking," Ritsu shakes his head, before blushing. "He feels way more intense- it took me a while to get used to. I also wasn't used to him being so attentive."

"Really? Ehh…" An tilts her head, thinking about her perspective of the older man. "I guess I can see what you mean. He was like a subtle intense but now he's just openly intense."

"He... he used to be... subtle?" Ritsu questioned. _'What the heck does that mean?'_

"Oh, well," An tries to explain, seeing that the other wasn't understanding. "I don't think you never noticed it but, back before he knew I was your sister, there was a time he saw me holding on to your arm." She regards him with a serious expression. "That was the first time I felt chills."

"From the weather?" He promptly got flicked on the forehead. "Ack!"

An sighs, wondering how the brunet could remain so airheaded after all this time. "Honestly, no wonder Mom worries for you everyday."

"Haha," Ritsu rubs the back of his head. "I guess I just didn't notice." _'Ah. I guess he glared at her or something..?'_

"Well, I guess it makes sense," An begins, "I remember when you told me that you would be okay if he decided he didn't want you to live with him anymore back then. You're really patient with him about stuff like that, but sort of dense with him at the same time." She giggles remembering the times she'd see the gentle stares Masamune would give to the oblivious Ritsu, or the glares Masamune would give off instead whenever someone else seems to get too close for comfort.

 _'I remember that time,'_ Ritsu thought, recalling those days of uncertainty; he had felt grateful that Masamune liked his company. Although, Ritsu now understood from the older man that he [Masamune] felt the same way. After all, they both loved each other very- _'Wait...'_ He looks at An in confusion with the slight tilt of his head. _'Dense? Hmm? Am I? Even if I am, I don't think I'm THAT dense...'_

* * *

"Summer huh," Masamune murmurs to himself as he got off work; he had overheard some nurses talking about their hometown's Summer Festival. Thankfully, it wasn't too much late into the night- he just received a text from Ritsu saying that he arrived at the station and was waiting for him. Already he was excited to be off of work and able to see his lover- not that he'll show it in public while he's heading toward the station.

He wondered if Ritsu would be okay with going on a trip with him in the Summer to visit a certain someone. _'I... should probably get in touch with her soon.'_ In regards to that certain someone, he hopes that she wouldn't be too mad with him for not visiting or contacting her since then. Admittedly, he had forgotten about contacting her again ever since Ritsu woke up.

His grandmother...

He was planning on telling Ritsu about it- the only time he left his [Ritsu's] bedside and even work for a _whole week_. It had been roughly a year into Ritsu's comatose state; the other doctors had gotten together and decided to send him away to get some fresh air. They sought out his grandmother- since they knew he wasn't on good terms with his mother- and before he realized it, he was already on a plane to the boonies.

**...**

**...**

**…**

_'Here..?' Masamune thought, a bit perplexed as he stared at the nursing home in front of him. The address he received wasn't his grandparents' home, so he wondered what was up. He knew his grandmother was starting to feel ill but she still seemed to have a lot of energy the last time he saw her during his last year of high school. "..."_

_'Don't tell me she's getting close to-' Masamune grimaced, wanting to hope that his grandmother wasn't near her final moments on Earth. He was supposed to come here to relax, supposedly, and not worry over a significant family member. 'Ritsu...' He wondered about the chances if the brunet happened to wake up while he was gone._

_"Oh, are you a visitor?" A professionally dressed woman from the inside walked out to greet him seeing that he was just staring silently at the building. "Are you here to see someone?"_

_He sighs, tired. "...I'm here to see Takano Kotoha. I'm her grandso-"_

_"Oh yes!" She interrupts him, seeming elated. He reluctantly follows her inside to the front desk. "She's been expecting you! Would you please come inside and sign-in?"_

_…_

_To him, his grandmother seemed like a more relaxed version of his mother. Even now, as he walked in to her room he could see her relaxed posture. She was sitting near the window tending to something- he stilled as he saw the cherry blossom tree branch in a pot. He remembered his grandmother telling him about how his grandfather planted the tree in their yard because he loved cherry blossoms. "...Did something happen to your tree?" The older woman froze for a second, her hand hovering over the branch as she looked over to see Masamune._

_"Masamune..!" His grandmother beamed gently, patting her hands on her pants before getting up to embrace him. His greetings were stifled as she hugged him unexpectedly tight. "Oh, how have you been? My, you're now taller than your grandfather back when we were young!"_

_"..Yeah."_

_"Is that cat of yours alright? Sorata was it?"_

_"Ah, he's living with a friend now."_

_"I see..." She trails off, gazing softly at him. "And you?" He stiffens. "I was surprised when your co-workers contacted me... but I'm glad you're here. That mother of yours hasn't visited me once since she brought me here."_

_"Did something happen?"_

_"Oh well, I tripped down the steps is all." Seeing that he didn't seem convinced, she sighed. "When I finally got Kotoko to tell me what happened between you two, I may have reacted badly... while on the steps. Next thing I know, I'm in the hospital, and the house along with the property were being sold."_ _She gently takes a hold of his hands and sighed once more._ _"With all that has happened, I'm so sorry." He stares at her, taken aback at the apology._

_"What?" Why was she the one apologizing to him? He swallowed thickly, tense. "Did you know?"_

_Did his grandmother know that Saga wasn't his father?_

_"It never occurred to me until Kotoko had said so... You know," She pauses, thoughtfully, "It... never mattered to me. Simply, you're my daughter's son- MY grandson, but now, I can see that you don't hold any of that man's [Saga's] features. I don't even care to know who your birth father is. For me..." He was startled as she took a grasp of both his cheeks to cradle his face, unsure how to feel as she regarded him softly._

_"You remind me so much of your grandfather." She turned her head to look at the potted tree branch fondly. "Taciturn for the most part, but yet so serious and passionate for things that matter to you. I loved him very much." She turned her head back to look at him again and laughed half-heartedly. "You even make that face, just like him, when-_

_You're trying not to cry," Kotoha smiles sadly, brushing away Masamune's stray tears with her thumbs. She then brought him over to sit where she had sat near her plant, while she brought up a small stool to sit near him. "Sorry again, Masamune." He coughs, resisting the urge to cry. "You must have been through so much these past few years. If it's okay with you, why don't you tell me about what you've been up to the last time I saw you?"_

_He didn't know that his visit would end up like this._

_To be able to share a part of his life so far to his grandmother came as a relief for him._

_..._

Before he realized it, he arrived at the station earlier than expected. _'Hmm, where is he?'_ Masamune scanned the area as he searched for any sign of the brunet after he texted from his cell phone. *Click* He startles at the familiar sound, but looks around to find no one in particular.

"Again?" He mutters under his breath, wary of his surroundings before he felt the small headbutt to his upper back that took him off guard. When he turned, his hand was grabbed, and his heart melted at the sight of Ritsu making sure his hand was properly held by his. "Yo," Masamune greets warmly. "Did you wait long?" He uses his other hand to ruffle the younger's hair. His suspicions about the clicking will have to wait.

"Oh, no. I got here just a few minutes ago. Look," He shows Masamune a flier with marine life on it using his other hand. "Remember that aquarium I mentioned this morning? They're hiring!"

"Oh?"

"The girl who handed it to me, she plays one of their mermaids! Ah, but I think I'll prefer to volunteer instead. I still want to find something in Literature if possible, but I need something to do in the meantime..." He glances up to see Masamune's displeasure from his wanting to work showing through his stoic façade. "I mean, I am getting better at cooking and such- being at home is nice but I need to find work you know?" They begin walking towards their assigned train to Kyoto as Ritsu continues talking. "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"If we had a cat, I won't be so lonely at home if I end up not finding work..." Ritsu finishes coyly, avoiding the older man's amused expression.

"Ah." Masamune held back a snicker. "You'll definitely find a job. No need for a cat."

"But what about a roomba? If we are both tired from work..."

"Nah, then I'll clean for the both of us. It's no problem."

"But- but..." Ritsu pouts, the tips of his ears reddening in embarrassment as Masamune laughs. "It's my birthday!"

"Then, would you rather go to Kyoto? Or use the money instead to buy a cat or a roomba?"

This caught the younger man off-guard, and he answers quietly after a few seconds of silence. "That's not fair..." Ritsu mumbles, brows furrowed as he thought seriously of what Masamune was suggesting. "But, exactly how does the price of going to Kyoto compare with buying a cat or a roomba?" His eyes widen at a sudden thought as he looks up at Masamune, excited. "A cat _AND_ a roomba?" Masamune held back a snort of laughter. "Ah, but-" Ritsu's excitement crumbles as he remembers the costs of taking the cat to the veterinarian, and supplies-

And then he was, for the second time today, flicked on the forehead. "Ack!"

"You're suddenly so serious it's hilarious." Before Ritsu could interject he was being pulled towards their designated area. "Maybe by next year... I'll think about it." As they past by a corner shop, Masamune glances at the ads for new apartments and rentals.

"You'll _think_ about it?!" Ritsu huffs, stifling a laugh. "Really?" They pause in place, surrounded by other people waiting for the train to arrive.

"Yep. By then... we'll probably be in a bigger place and maybe we can get two cats."

"T-two cats you say..." Masamune looks to see the younger in contemplation.

* * *

 _[He really used cats as a way to get me to move in completely with him] '-Is probably what he's thinking...'_ The older man thought, watching and waiting for his response. He continued to wait as they got onto the train and sat in their seats. However, he grew worried at the serious expression his lover was wearing. _'Should I flick on him the forehead again?'_ "Ritsu-"

"That's probably better for you huh..." Ritsu trails off, surprising Masamune with a gentle grip to his hand as he gazes at him. "We should probably get a new mattress too."

"Huh?" He didn't expect that.

Ritsu flusters at the confusion his husband was sporting. "I mean, it's n-not like I'm so opposed to it that I wouldn't do it for you. Because we lov-I mean I-" He blushes, slowly panicking with what he was going to say. "I know I was reluctant at first about it but in all honesty at this point, I'm just worried about the costs. I'm aware that we have enough but I wanted to be able to contribute more so I wanted a job first."

"Also," The brunet continues, more quietly, "I looked up the tag on the mattress and it's over 8 years old. I read that that's around the time you need to replace it."

"Oh." Masamune recalls then that the mattress was from the previous tenant of his apartment. _'That saved money for me back then, so...'_

"And, your mother," Ritsu brings up, "I could feel her judging me when I told her I couldn't work yet back then. And I know that you'd say that I shouldn't care about what she thinks but..." He looks at Masamune shyly, yet determinedly. "I want to be able to support and spoil you more regardless! So no matter what, I need a job. After all, I'm the one who proposed to you s-so if anything, I should be the one taking care of you more..." He trails off, embarrassed to his ears.

Ah. _'This isn't good.'_

This did not bode well for the him that was in the train.

Ritsu looked on in confusion and concern as Masamune sucked in a breath and laid back his head at his seat with his eyes closed. "Masamune?" Before he could respond, Ritsu was immediately distracted by something outside the window and the older man sighed in relief.

Why couldn't they be at the hotel already?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2019-)Happy New Years! This chapter was months in the making and I'm sorry!  
> I've been mainly working and being lazy about starting up the laptop.  
> I'll try better! See you in 2020 for Ritsu's B-Day part 3!
> 
> (2020) [0_0] Took me a while but now this story is on both Ao3 and FF.net! Feel free to give me feedback regarding the tagging characters and stuff cause I'm getting used to it and I feel like I'm not tagging enough...


	49. Chapter 49 - Rated M

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ritsu's B-Day-Night continues! AND you know what night time means :D (Consider this a reader's warning for you)
> 
> I've also been re-reading my other works to try to get the MOTIVATION to write more and AHHHHH... In the first place, I started writing cause these are the types of stories I want to read but writing it out is ahhhhhh...
> 
> Update 6/12-16/2020: Also I've been distracted by life, animal crossing and k-pop songs; right now I'm listening on loop to "This is Love," by Super Junior, and earlier their "Black Suit" song. I've been sleepin' on all these older songs hghgngnh
> 
> Update 7/25/2020: Hi!
> 
> Update 8/24-31/2020: "Gray" by sajou no hana is a nice song! Also FYI I'm officially going to change the rating to M for this story. Also the new chapter came out for sih and jr!

* * *

_'It's still so bright out,'_ Ritsu thought, as he entered their hotel room. Opposite from the door, the wide windows provided beautiful scenery of the cherry blossom trees outside. The light from the moon was bright enough to the point that there wasn't any need to turn on the lights.

"It looks great huh?" Masamune comments, as he enters with their shared luggage. After wheeling it in front of the bed he takes out his gift to give to the younger man. "Want your gift now?"

"Another gift? Thank you..." Ritsu accepts it shyly, receiving what was given to him before noticing the table close by. He stared at the decorated chocolate cake before seeing appetizers next to it with small sticks in them. There was even an ice bucket with wine on the table as well. "Aahh, and this too? Although it's almost midnight..." They had eaten earlier at a place near the station after they got off the train.

"No big deal." The older gets him seated before pouring the wine into two wine glasses. "We can just eat a little- think of this as dessert. Here," he places Ritsu's glass of wine down in front of him on the table. "You don't want to open it yet?" He asks, seeing that Ritsu had set the bagged gift on the table away from the food.

"Huh? Oh," Ritsu flusters, having been distracted from watching Masamune pour the wine. Quickly, he takes the gift bag onto his lap and reaches in, smiling at the soft texture before bringing out the dark cardigan. He brings up the cardigan to his chest, sizing it up to himself before standing and taking off his jacket to replace it with his new gift.

"Do you like it?" Masamune asks with a smile, seeing that the younger seemed to like it. "Happy Birthday."

"I like it a lot! Thank you," Ritsu beams, looking down at his new clothing fondly before sitting back down with it on. As he takes a sip of his wine, the older man cuts out a piece of the cake for him. The brunet says his thanks once more before taking a bite of the cake. _'This chocolate is so rich and not too sweet,'_ Ritsu took another bite, _'I wonder what chocolate this hotel uses... It's delicious.'_

Seeing that his lover was watching him silently, he curiously stares back. "What is it?"

"It looks better on you than I thought," Masamune comments quietly, before drinking some of his wine to distract himself. Seeing his lover wear something from him on this special day brought up a rather familiar, exciting feeling that he didn't want to address at the moment. He decides to eat one of the appetizers after taking off the stick.

"Well of course, you bought it for me..." Ritsu replies, happy that the older man liked it on him. _'I didn't have that much wine, but...'_ He glances to the stoic older man, who was now popping appetizer after appetizer into his mouth. _'Why does it feel more nerve-wracking than usual?'_ He decides to drink more wine while finishing his cake.

...

"Ritsu." Masamune set his empty wine glass down near the ice bucket, trying to maintain his inner calm. Only one glass of wine and already he felt that his chest was sweating through a sauna. Perhaps downing all those appetizers like a speed-eating contest wasn't the best of ideas to do when trying to stay chill. _'It all tasted pretty good though.'_

"Yes?" The brunet answers, seeing that the other man seemed serious. He finished his part of the cake, so now he was putting the rest up to save for tomorrow. Masamune was somehow able to eat all the appetizers with a full stomach, so that saved some cleaning up. _'Will he be okay tomorrow?'_ Ritsu wondered, worried. _'He didn't even leave any for me, was it that good? Should we try to make them later at home?'_

The older took a deep breath, "I-" He noticed that Ritsu was cleaning up without him and got up from his seat. "Oi, I'm supposed to do that, Birthday Boy." Ritsu laughs at being caught as he let Masamune take over. "Anyways," He continues, "I will be what you want me to be for the rest of the night, so don't be afraid to tell me how you want it."

That's right, tonight will be whatever Ritsu wants at his pace! The brunet is almost always going along with what Masamune wants, so the older wanted to do better at being patient with him.

Surely, Ritsu must have preferences in bed that differed from his that he was too shy now to be vocal about right?

He made sure that the room they had was a little more secluded from the rest so Ritsu wouldn't be self-conscious about his voice. In this way too, he'll learn more about what his love liked. Even at home, it felt as if the brunet was holding something back.

"...? You should be yourself," Ritsu didn't quite understand what he meant however, and instead seemed hurt by his words. "I don't ever want to change anything about you."

_'Uh... Did I word it wrong somehow?'_ Masamune wonders, now unsure of how he worded it. This wasn't good; the brunet had somehow misinterpreted his words. Setting aside all that needed to be put up, he faced the brunet properly. He sure was touched by those words though. "Ritsu-" Said person interrupted him by grabbing his hands and holding them together.

He stared back in bewilderment as he was glared at rather fiercely. "I love you just the way you are! Everything about you, I..."

The older simply blinked at this sudden development, feeling unusually nervous as Ritsu's fiery stare weakened into a vulnerable expression, and the fierceness in his voice began to waver, "If I ever make you feel otherwise, just tell me! I..."

"You know, I- when I woke up," Ritsu began again, reminded about his conversation with An earlier, "It was so strange. To everyone else, you were already how you were, but to me... You were like a new person. The way you looked at others, the way you looked at me, it was different from what I was used to. But I got accustomed to how you are now, and it made me realize something. If I never got into a coma, I wouldn't think it was strange, because then, I would have grown with you... changed with you. And to you, the me that woke up must have been different to you right?" Masamune tenses at that, as Ritsu looks down at their hands with a wistful smile. "Even now, it's sort of unbelievable to think that I'm now 26."

"Ritsu..." _'Shit,'_ Masamune thought, feeling guilty for this flow of conversation. _'I don't know what to say. Shit. What do I say? What's going through his head? He's telling me all this- I can't tell him what I really meant, it'll definitely make him feel embarrassed.'_

The last thing he wanted was for Ritsu to shut himself up in the bathroom for the rest of the night.

The truth is, while the flow did go not as planned, Masamune was actually happy despite his guilt. No, he was _extremely_ happy. _'No matter how many times he confesses to me like this, it still makes me feel...'_ With a deep breath, he willed himself to hold back his excitement. _'Should I just hold him in my arms while I tell the truth so he won't escape?'_ He subtly tightened his grip with Ritsu's hands that were still holding his.

_'Sorry Ritsu, I listened to all of that, but this is the type of man I am. If you keep telling me stuff like this I'll not going to let you go for the rest of-'_

"B-but you know," The 28-year old was startled out of his train of thought as Ritsu suddenly spoke with growing courage. "Since then, we've been changing together, naturally- just as we should be growing older. So if you do feel like there's something to change- you or me..." He widens his eyes as Ritsu brings up his hand with the ring to kiss gently, before smiling affectionately at him. "Let's continue to change together, okay?"

* * *

That smile, those words, his small kiss... all combined into a figurative arrow that went straight through Masamune's heart. _'F*ck... shit,'_ He lets go of Ritsu to fall forward, kneeling over as his mind was now processing what just happened while his heart was recovering from the hit. What was said to him was incredibly touching and...

That kiss... to his hand with the wedding band...

Was... was he just proposed to, again? ' _That was basically a proposal for life, right? He probably didn't mean to but... A proposal?'_

His mind was thrown into a state of confusion. _'But w_ _e're already married?'_

He tries to sort out his thoughts as he continues to process. _'Shit I'm so happy but I can't! I can't tell him that I meant_ [ _I will be what you want me to be_ ] _for sex. Aughhh..._ _But I worded it right in the first place, right? How did it end up like this?!'_

Meanwhile, The-Reason-It-Ended-Up-Like-This (Ritsu) was wondering what was wrong until he heard the older man mutter something. "What? What did you say?"

"Tomorrow, I'll go pray at the nearest shrine..!" Masamune said under his breath, with a sudden determination. _'For him waking up, for him still loving me... I can't respond properly now, so I'll pray for the both of us tomorrow.'_

While the younger man was baffled, he didn't dare doubt that his lover would go find a shrine and pray tomorrow... for some reason. "Masamune?" Ritsu tried to help him up, but the older refused to budge. "What's wrong?"

The older sucked in his breath, having made the decision to tell the truth. "...I'm sorry." He took a few seconds to get up and hug Ritsu to himself. "I'm very happy- thrilled that you said all that, I really am, but..."

"Wh-what is it?"

Reluctant, the words came out slowly and precise. "I had... meant [I will be what you want me to be] in... bed." The darker haired sighs, relieved to have let it out. A little nervous, he stares down at his lover for the expected reaction.

Ah.

There it was.

That reddened face as if it was going to burst into flames, to the tips of his ears.

His trembling lips to go with those eyes that look like they're going to tear up any minute.

_'Ah. I can't resist.'_ Masamune thought, wanting to fluster the other up more. _'He looks like he's going to explode.'_ With one arm around Ritsu, he used his other hand to bring the younger's hand up to his lips. "By the way, I too, want to change together with you forever. Now it isn't just your birthday today, it's also the day you proposed to me for life."

"...Nngh." The brunet flushed even more, realizing now how his words and actions were basically a proposal. _'Oh, it's spreading all the way to his chest,'_ Masamune observed keenly, referring to his love's flushed skin. He hugged the other tighter against him when he saw actual tears leak out, a hand stroking his hair. Looking up ahead, he decided to guide Ritsu to the floor in front of the bed- near the window- to rest.

Sitting up against the end of the bed with crossed legs, he brought the other onto his lap to continue to rest against him. "I thought I was supposed to be the one crying. I was just proposed to after all." The older man couldn't help but recall when An told him how Kazuto proposed to her, and how both of them ended up crying. "Feel free to let it all out."

"I-I'm not crying..." Ritsu disagrees, taking a deep breath with his face in the older's chest. "I'm just relieved is all!"

"Relieved?"

"I know that there have been times where," The younger hesitates for a moment before continuing. "I don't tell you anything... That I leave some things unsaid to you. And then, I thought maybe something happened that you didn't let me know about when you said that- so I misunderstood what you meant but... I wanted you to know I felt the same way. Even if I have become more withdrawn towards you compared to before, the feelings I have for you are still mutual." He shyly raises up his head to look Masamune in the eyes. "I _love_ you... so much."

_'Don't do it.'_

_'Don't do it...'_

_'Don't do it.'_ Masamune thought repeatedly towards himself, resisting the urge to pounce on the brunet. Instead, he ruffled his soft brown hair and waited for his next course of action. Ritsu was successfully doing his best to open up more, and he wasn't about to let his lust get in the way this time. _'I want him to tell me more...'_

...

Facing the window to look outside at the blossoms, Ritsu laid his head back against Masamune's chest. Having been able to open up as he did, the brunet decided to let out even more of what he felt. "Y-you know, this morning in front of the park... part of me wished you took me away right then and there. Ahah but," Ritsu laughs lightheartedly, looking back up at him, "I know that couldn't..." He trails off, recognizing that familiar expression on his lover's face.

Ritsu was quite acquainted with that face of inner frustration and desire. Quickly, he laid his head back against the older's chest, slightly blushing. _'That means... he felt the same way too, didn't he? But...'_

Normally, he would have been jumped by now right? _'B-b-but it's not like I said that to be jumped! I just wanted to tell him that...'_ Ritsu blushes even more, being honest with himself, _'Because I was hoping he felt the same way too and, he does.'_ Swallowing nervously, he brings up his arms to hug the other in gratitude, before being startled by the unusually strong embrace he got in return.

_'Ah, what he meant to say earlier...'_ Ritsu recalls what Masamune originally wanted to tell him, _'Is he trying to be patient for me? He wants to know more about what I like in bed?'_ He pales nervously, mortified at the thought of letting his inner thoughts leak out regarding the topic. _'No no no no... I can't let him know. It's too embarrassing! Cause I mean, he'll definitely tease me about it! And if I ever get used to it... I can't let that happen!'_

It was already enough with how they normally went about doing it, and not to mention that there was one time in the past that... The neighbor below them banged up towards them to say they were too loud. _'That was definitely horrifying...'_ Ritsu remembers, not wanting a repeat of that. _'Also cause it was mainly me that was loud...'_

_'Oh but, on our way here...'_ It didn't escape Ritsu's notice that where they were staying at seemed more private than the others. _'Did he do that on purpose too? For me? Gah,'_ He pulls away from his hug to put his hands over his face, growing upset. _'I'd feel bad letting his efforts go to waste! He wanted to give me a good birthday for the past 3 years! And my stamina has gotten better too! Not to mention that I do want him too! But but...'_

"Will you _please_ tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

"Ack!" Ritsu jolts in Masamune's lap, before looking up at him. "I-I...Right..."

"..?"

_'It should be okay right? Right?'_ Due to that small interruption his anxiety dwindled, allowing him to rationalize. _'Even if he's doing his best to be patient with me, I know he won't let me go anytime soon. And I trust him. Only he can touch me like this so...'_

_'So...'_

"M-Masamune?" He goes back to wrapping his arms around him again.

"Yes?"

The brunet lets out a shaky sigh once he was hugged back. "I... I would tell you if I didn't like something. You know that."

"Yeah."

"S-so it's safe to assume that with... with the things we have in common that we like..." He swallows before letting out the rest, "Also applies to when we're in bed."

"..." _'I can feel his hands gripping at my waist.'_ Blushing, he dares not to move about in their embrace. At times like this, the older man's actions were louder than words. _'If he can do his best like this, I can do it too!'_

Feeling safe enough to continue, Ritsu can feel his courage building up inside him. "Somehow... I'm very sensitive to you. When you touch me, even when you're cold, it's hot- th-the temperature mind you! N-not that you're a cold person!" He lets out a shaky breath at that fumble, before calming down. "When other people touch me, it's not the same as it is with you."

"...I see." In all honesty, he was too scared to look up to the older at the moment.

"So..." _'You can do it, me!'_ "...when you tell me to relax the second time around, i-it's not that I can't relax, it's just that..." Trailing off, he shuts his eyes in embarrassment. "T-that it feels really good."

_'Ah, I said it. Aahh I said it.'_ He waits for Masamune's response.

* * *

"...Sometimes, you're so tight, it's as if you want me to stay inside you." Ritsu blushes, but it's short-lived as Masamune continues with a sigh. "But sometimes, it's so damn tight I wonder if my dick's gonna break in half."

"H-huh?!" Ritsu pulls away and leans back to stare at him in shock and worry. "It's that painful?! I'm sorry...!" _'That's right... no matter how long he tries to loosen me it's still tight back there- not to mention when he's in me it's...'_

Something else seemed to weigh on the older man's mind as he uses his hands to gently grasp at both sides of Ritsu's face. "At some point, it's as if... you're afraid of feeling good. Like you're holding back from it."

_'Ah...'_ Ritsu knew what the older was referring to. _'When I try to hold back my voice from getting louder...'_ It was hard for him to completely let go knowing it'll definitely disturb he neighbors and... _'If I say what I really want he'll definitely tease me... but...'_ They were in a private room, and it _was_ his birthday... "Masamune?"

"Yes?" Answered the older, having moved away his hands from Ritsu's face to hold onto his waist again.

"You said you'll be what I want in bed tonight, right?" The brunet asks to make sure, his voice quiet.

"Oh?" Masamune slowly grins, wondering what was up. "What is it that you want?"

"Can you..." Ritsu hesitates slightly, "Can you tell me if I'm too loud? Th-that way, maybe I can control it better at home..."

"You should start out being as loud as you want. Let it all out," Masamune suggests, very much wanting to make the other cry out in pleasure to the point where he won't hear anything else. _'He's not even that loud, it's just that the walls are thin.'_ "And I'll tell you if it actually hurts my ears. There has to be more you want me to do, right?"

"That..." The brunet looks away nervously, before unwillingly, slowly meeting his eyes. "If... if I say I want it gentler," He swallows, his voice becoming small, "Or slower, or... ha-harder," Masamune widens his eyes at him, "Please don't tease me and just do it. I already know how perverted it sounds and you-mmph," Ritsu shuts his eyes as the other kisses him hard, and sighs as the older moved on with his lips to kiss his neck.

"Tell me more." Masamune demands huskily, with a slight tremble to his voice. Despite being at his limit, he wanted Ritsu to request more of him. "Why don't we practice?" He eagerly began undoing the other's pants, turning Ritsu around so his back pressed against his chest. Masamune then rested his chin on the younger's shoulders with his arms around him as he began to undo Ritsu's dress shirt.

"Bathroom..." Ritsu pleads weakly, becoming aroused. "We should..."

"After this," Masamune promises, before sucking gently under Ritsu's ear, prompting the latter to shiver in pleasure. "Practice first. Then we'll get ourselves cleaned up to get dirty again." He chuckles, before using one hand to grab the brunet's cock and the other to grope his chest.

"Nggh..." Ritsu shudders, letting the older do as he wanted as it was what he wanted as well. It was an embarrassing feeling, acknowledging that his lover knew where he liked being touched. _'What was the point of practicing again?'_ He wondered, before gasping at the hardness underneath him. _'Ah, he's hard now too... and...'_ "Ah, the ca-cardigan... I should take it off, it's getting hot..."

"You're already so hot," Masamune groans, holding onto the younger tighter as he began jerking him faster. "Ritsu..." He pants, his hips slowly grinding upwards against his love's behind. "Ritsu..."

"Ah! N-n-ngh... no," Ritsu whines, feeling that he was going to come soon. "Masamune, Masamune, I-I'm... Hahh...MMm..." Out of habit, he tried to keep his mouth shut before a hand turned his head to kiss Masamune. "Mmph! MMmph!" He moans, trembling as he came into Masamune's other hand.

After they parted their lips, Masamune helped take off the rest of Ritsu's upper wear so they could shower. "You still tried to hold back your voice." A little dazed, the younger responded with a audible grunt, and the older continues. "Since you're more aware of it now, try to let go. It's just you and me in here."

...

"Ahh..." _'It feels like we've been in here forever...'_ Ritsu swallows, panting as a third finger made his way inside him. The water pressure of the shower was low, but still very warm. After getting clean, he had been sitting up against the back of the shower as Masamune continued to finger his asshole for who knows how long. The bottle of lube nearby had been neglected a few minutes back. _'He's so hard too...'_ He honestly didn't understand why the older was so determined to get him to come more than he would by the end of the night. "Masamune..?"

"..." It didn't help that Masamune seemed mesmerized by how disheveled he looked with the water running down his body. He felt very self-conscious with that piercing stare, despite staring back at the other's body as well. He'd never deny his husband's handsome build.

_'I want to try...'_ Maybe the steam was making him crazy but... _'I've been on his lap before, but not in the shower...'_ He breathes through the damp haze, wondering if he should just go sit on him to throw him off guard. _'I want him in me...'_ "Nngh..." Ritsu moans with repressed pleasure, seeing that he was hard again. _'Ah no, I'm supposed to let it out... Let it out, don't hold back...'_

This seemed to bring the older man out of his daze. "You okay?" The fingers inside him curled and pulled out without meaning to and Ritsu shudders, wanting more. When the brunet felt that gentle hand on his cheek, concerned for him, it made him realize that he too, has a limit. While he was thankful that his lover cared for him like this, being treated as if he was so fragile that he can't go in deeper like they could before he got into a coma was...

If it was the him before they got into the shower, he would definitely be embarrassed to admit that to his lover, but right now...

_'I can't take it anymore.'_ "Pl-please..." Masamune's eyes widen as Ritsu moved to press against his front, wanting to be on him. "On your lap, like this... Can we? Masamune..." He reaches out to wrap his arms around the older's neck to pull himself up on him, his sensitivity causing him to flinch as familiar hands latched onto his hips firmly.

He wanted him so badly, and there were no neighbors to- "Tell me if you get tired..." Once again, Masamune was still being careful with him. While it was kind of him, Ritsu knew this meant that the older man was going to hold back for him. _'I don't want him to hold back for me right now.'_

"If it hurts, just-" The 28-year old was stunned as Ritsu interrupted him with a kiss, grasping the the back of his neck tightly before pulling away slightly.

"If I'm trying my hardest not to hold back my voice, then you don't hold back either! I'm not as easily tired as I was before! Even if I still can't keep up with you, I don't want you holding back!" The brunet then hugs him tighter around his neck, resisting to give in into his embarrassment as he continued to speak. "I want you... I want you! So... Please..."

"..."

"..."

For a few seconds, only the sound of the water falling filled in the silence before Ritsu gasps as Masamune lifts him slightly to position his cock into him. "I... planned to have us walk to the nearby market area and go shopping but..." Masamune breathes excitedly before regarding Ritsu openly in desire. "It's okay if we miss the morning rush." He had heard that it was busy in the morning and initially wanted to see what the fuss was about.

_'Morning rush?'_ Ritsu wondered in interest, before he was pulled down with an intensity. "AAaahhck! Ohhh..." He shudders, letting out a cry with his head resting forward against Masamune's chest as the feeling of fullness caused him to tear up. "S-so deep... hnngh..." When rough hands began wiping his tears away and messing with his nipples he shivers, feeling the pain slowly ebbing away. "You... you okay?" Ritsu asks tearfully, his voice hitching. "I-I'm not too tight, am I?"

Masamune had his eyes closed, trying to concentrate on letting Ritsu get used to him. "Oh, you're always tight around me," He pants, before using a hand to push back Ritsu's hair from his face and kiss his forehead. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay... but you were quiet earlier..."

"Oh that." To Ritsu's slight surprise, the older seemed just a tad bit embarrassed. "I was going to suck you off but you looked so sexy like that, I just..." He trails off as the brunet jolts in their position, and groans at the muscles tightening around his cock. "Ritsu..."

"I th-think I can go now," Ritsu pants, trying to lift himself up from the other's shoulders so he could thrust back down, but the sensation was too much for him. He was only able to get halfway out. "Masamune, can you help m-Hahh!" He cries as his hips were pulled back down roughly, and let the older help guide his hips to properly pull out and thrust onto him. "Hnngh... AAahh!"

"Yes, like that..." Masamune moans, keeping his hips moving upwards with rhythm once they got into it better. "I love it... whenever you're on me-" Ritsu interrupts him for the second time with another kiss, not wanting to him to finish his embarrassing comment. His throat rumbles as his laugh was muffled with his moaning, amused by his lively partner. _'He's too cute.'_

...

"...n me?" The older frowns as he could barely hear the other, after they broke their kiss a few minutes later. The running shower water was louder on his end. _'Is he getting tired? We'll bathe after this, and then get to the bed and drink some water-'_ "-inside me?" The brunet had hugged himself closer to him, his lips to his ears. "Let it out inside me?" The truth was, his love was far from tired despite how weakened his voice seemed.

"...Huh?" Was all Masamune could say in disbelief, as he pulls away a little to look at him. Normally, he's the one that asks if he could release inside. Seeing that the older seemed genuinely confused, Ritsu furrows his brows in worry.

"Are you okay? You really can't hear me?" Ritsu reaches up to push away some excess water droplets off his ears. _'Am I really so loud that his hearing is numb?'_ "Is it the water, or me? Should we-"

"Do you like it when I come inside you?" Masamune asks point-blank, and suddenly the brunet understands why the older seemed so surprised.

"Ah..." Already flushed, the younger's cheeks became warmer as he tried to answer without actually answering. "W-we're already in here, so y-"

"But do you like it?"

"Do _you_ like it?" Ritsu counters back, hoping that the older would get the hint because he didn't want to answer. However, as the older began to glare at him seriously Ritsu swallows, nervous. _'I know he wants to know what I like but... this is so embarrassing.'_

"Yes..." The brunet eventually admits with his head turned, not able to look him in the eye. His hair that was pushed back fell forward to cover his eyes. "I know we're not supposed to do it often but, I... li-like it, when you come in me."

"..."

"But I know it can be time consuming to clean up! And um, the sheets can get dirty and not to mention theeugh?!" He whines as the older pulls out of him suddenly. "Masa-!" Gently, he was pushed to rest on the shower floor, and closes his eyes as his hair was brushed back once more.

"You really..." Ritsu opens his eyes to see Masamune stare down at him with that familiar glint in his eyes. Feeling slightly turned on at the sight, he swallows in anticipation as the older pulls him close with his legs pushed back. "Don't turn me on anymore than this."

"H-hHah?!" Ritsu sputters, indignant. "But yo-you're the one who made me-Ahh!" He threw his head back as he was entered again, trembling at the hardness inside of him. _'I don't think... I could ever get used to...'_ "Ma-masa... Not so rough..! Hah..."

"Lift your hips with me," Masamune pants, as he began thrusting into him eagerly, reveling in the tight heat that was his lover who was holding onto him for support. "Ahh!" "You're so hot inside," He begins kissing his way up the brunet's neck as his hands roam freely. "Feeling good?" He asks huskily, licking the shell of Ritsu's ear.

"Mmmn," Ritsu whimpers, letting out a small sob as the older quickened his pace. "Oohh! No," He moans as he felt the older trying to suck on his neck, failing to jerk his head away from the overwhelming sensation. "Nngh..."

"I know you like it here when you come," Masamune whispers heatedly before pressing his lips against him in succession, causing Ritsu to cry out incoherently. He begins stroking the younger's cock with one hand, using the other to hold his body against him tighter as he thrusts in harder. "Aahh! Ahh!" "Ritsu..."

"Masamune, Masamune hnngh," Ritsu cries feverishly, sobbing at the pleasure threatening to make him burst. The older grunts as he was reaching his peak, feeling the slight pain of his lover's nails digging into his upper back as he held onto him. "Masamune..!"

"Ritsu, I'm..!" Masamune grits his teeth as he came hard inside of him, riding out his orgasm as he rocked into the other with irregular rhythm.

"Aaahh!" The brunet shudders as he came as well, the feeling of being filled having pushed him over the edge. "Hah..."

...

"You okay?" Masamune whispers a little while later, twitching as he pulls out of Ritsu's ass. "Let me start the bath and-" A hand on his arm stops him.

"C-can we just... get to the bed already?" Ritsu asks quietly, no longer wanting to be wet and on a hard surface. "Let's just get clean again."

"...Okay," Masamune agrees with a smile, actually having wanted to be at the bed too instead of the bath. He helps the brunet sit up. "Does your throat feel fine?"

"Yeah," Ritsu admits, much to his embarrassment. "And it was nice... letting my voice out. When we're at home though..."

"Don't worry about that too much," Masamune chides, pinching one of his cheeks lightly. "You think I want people hearing your erotic moaning meant only for me?" The brunet silently flusters at that as he continues, "I'll always tell you if you're too loud, so pay no mind to what the neighbors think."

"But sometimes you make me louder on purpose," Ritsu frowns, raising a brow when Masamune smiles in amusement at the accusation. "Well?"

The older lets out a small laugh, bringing down the shower head to rinse Ritsu better. "Sounds like you've known for a while now, and you still let it happen?"

"..." _'Ah, I shouldn't get him too worked up while wet,'_ Masamune thought, seeing that the brunet was reddening again, his expression shy. _'I don't want him to get sick on his birthday.'_ "Here, get up." Masamune orders, gingerly pulling the younger man up to clean him better.

* * *

_'God, this feels great.'_ Masamune sighs, letting himself rest on the plush mattress after getting dressed and dry. _'Definitely booking here next time.'_ He could hear Ritsu looking through the suitcase for something. "What are you looking for?"

"The condoms. Where are they?" At that, the older man sits up to stare over at the brunet, surprised yet again. "What is it?"

"You're not tired?" At that, the brunet glares heatedly before Masamune realizes his mistake, recalling their conversation from earlier. "Not that you look tired, just, your ass has been on the tile for about an hour so I'm worried is all."

"I'm happy you worry for me, but I feel fine." Ritsu finds what he was looking for, and throws the box and the lube over to the bed to land on his side of the bed. After getting himself up onto the bed he goes to straddle his lover who continued to sit up. "And even if it's past midnight, it's still my birthday."

Masamune slowly cracks a smile as he wraps his arms around him. Ritsu straddling him on his own accord was rare but always welcome. _'In the shower too, he sat on me so eagerly.'_ "Yes, it's still your birthday." He freezes in surprise as he was hugged wholeheartedly, feeling the younger pat and rub his back earnestly.

"Thank you for planning all this, and loving me." The older presses his lips at this, his heart racing as Ritsu let go of him to cradle his face while still on his lap. "When we go to the closest shrine later, I'll pray too."

"I love you." Masamune responds abruptly, enveloping Ritsu's hands on his face with his own hands. He closes his eyes in bliss for the warmth on his cheeks. "I really, _really,_ love you."

"I love you too," Ritsu smiles softly, before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "You're the only one for me."

"Why does this suddenly feel like it's my birthday?" Masamune laughs playfully, before pulling down Ritsu's hands from his face so he can kiss them. "I'm happy you're enjoying yourself. You even decided to sit on me, twice now."

"Well, it is my birthday," The brunet counters, before pouting at him. "Not to mention, you made me admit a lot of stuff I've kept to myself. So, since you're doing what you want so persistently, then I'm going to try to-"

"You like sitting on me is what I'm hearing, right?" Masamune grins, trying to hold in a laugh. "Since you're doing what you want right now. Want to tell me I'm wrong?"

"..." Ritsu opens his mouth as if to argue, but shuts his mouth, his cheeks reddening as if caught. "A-and what if I like sitting on you? You're the one that started it," He crosses his arms, trying to will away his embarrassment. "Pulling me on your lap whenever you feel like it, using me like a portable heater, and your chest isn't too firm so it's... It's not uncomfortable, a-and..." Putting his hands on his face now, he decides not to continue, unnerved due to the older's teasing leading him into another admission. _'At this rate, I might spill out every thought I've had...'_

"Oh? And you were doing so well too," The older comments, gently trying to pull the younger's hands away from his own face. "I already know how much you love me, but you always end up pulling away."

"It's not as if I'm... afraid." _'Maybe a little afraid.'_ "I don't mean to pull away either," Ritsu begins quietly, slowly releasing his hands from his face. "My heart feels like it's going to burst, and..." His expression had crumbled into one of yearning, as he avoided the older's eyes to stare out the window. He needed to explain how he was feeling properly without revealing too much. "Um... imagine a cup."

"...Okay." A little confused, Masamune went along with it.

"And then, you stick it under a waterfall-"

Masamune frowns. "Not a faucet?"

"N-no, a waterfall, and... no matter how much you shake some water out, it will always fill up and overflow."

"You can do the same with a faucet."

"No, because you can turn off a faucet. But I can't... turn off my feelings," Ritsu wavers, inching off of Masamune's lap carefully, "The cup is my heart, and the waterfall, all that water falling continuously, are my feelings for you. Think of it as if the waterfall starts from my head and goes down to my stomach and loops back up as it passes through my heart." _'Did that make sense? I really want to lie down now...'_

As the older remained silent, Ritsu took that as a confirmation to continue.

"The pressure of the waterfall varies everyday, but it's always flowing. Sometimes, the cup feels like it's going to chip away, so it tilts at an angle so the water can still flow while it rests. So, like the cup, I'm going to rest a little too- I won't fall asleep though."

With that, the brunet crawls over next to Masamune to get under the covers. _'I'll just close my eyes for a little bit, and then... Hmm?'_ As his head sinks into the pillow he sighs, ultimately comfortable as he let himself relax. _'This is... so soft...'_

* * *

'If _someone asked me to fill up a cup with how much I loved Ritsu, I would try to fill it all the way to the top as much as I can without spilling.'_ Masamune thought, his chest aching increasingly for the brunet. However, it was good for the brunet to have communicated his hidden thoughts to him; he understood him even more now. _'Our logic is a little different but...'_ He sighs, dejected. _'I said faucet.'_ After scratching the back of his dark head, he goes to get under the covers to join Ritsu.

However, he couldn't sleep- something felt off. _'Am I forgetting something?'_ As he turns to face Ritsu he widens his eyes.

The brunet had tossed their lube and box of condoms on the other side of the bed.

Now they sat there in plain sight, mocking him.

His eyes went back and forth from the items to Ritsu's peaceful face. Unwillingly, he turns away to face the other side of the room. _'I want to hold him, but...'_ Swallowing, he turns back around and hugs himself to the other before shutting his eyes. _'I just won't look at it.'_ Despite thinking that, the temptation had him weakening. Unable to keep his eyes closed, he decides to gaze at his lover. _'His hair is growing longer again. I should ask if I can trim it for him. He said he wouldn't fall asleep, but I had him tell me a lot of things today so-'_

"Hmmn?" Ritsu flinches and blinks himself awake, much to the older's surprise and joy. "This bed's so nice! I didn't mean to fall asleep... I guess I am a little tired," The brunet admits with a small, airy laugh; he was feeling much better now. At the sensation of his shirt being lifted he widens his eyes wordlessly at his husband, who stared back with resolve.

"I can't sleep, so please let me indulge you until I'm satisfied."

Blushing, Ritsu remembers what he had initially planned before turning to the lube and box of condoms he had thrown onto the bed. "I'm so sorry, I threw that here and everything..."

"It's fine, just let me hold you," Masamune pleads quietly, having already gotten up to bend over him. "I want you."

"...Me too," The brunet says back shyly, closing his eyes as the older began kissing his neck. "I'm only a little tired. This bed is so comfy, and the pillow is really soft..." He trails off, shivering as he was stripped of his sweatpants and underwear. _'Now that I think about it,'_ Ritsu realized, _'I never got to ask about the morning_ _rush.'_

...

9:46am was when Masamune woke up, blinking blearily at his cell phone before setting it aside. Tiredly, he turns over to rest and stare at his slumbering lover. _'If I'm aching, then he definitely...'_ He supposed that the younger would wake up in another hour or so. _'I had us down for checking out in the evening, so it should be fine. Maybe we can go eat somewhere and find a shrine to pray at before we go.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping this reads better on mobile cause it feels too short...
> 
> Ya know, I LOVE thinking about how MORE of a potential lovey-dovey couple they can be like, aughaldsjadgoadhghh it scares me to think that it's gonna end with them barely getting to that point and well, I believe I'll still write about them then, I hope. I love them lots to the point that they are one of my top OTPs even if I'm quiet about it.


End file.
